Philadelphia Mayor Signs Order to Create, Preserve 30K Units

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker is ready to put her money where her mouth is when it comes to housing promises.

Parker signed an executive order to address the city’s housing crisis, launching an initiative aimed at creating and preserving 30,000 housing units during her first term, WHYY reported. The Philadelphia Housing Opportunities Made Easy (H.O.M.E.) initiative will bring together various stakeholders to reform housing development processes in the city.

The executive order triggers the creation of an advisory group to review existing policies and recommend reforms within 30 days. The group will include affordable housing providers, real estate developers and industry organizations such as the Philadelphia Housing Authority, Building Association Industry of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council.

The mayor also appointed Angela Brooks, former director of the Illinois office of the Corporation for Supportive Housing, as the city’s chief housing and urban development officer to oversee the plan. Brooks will begin her role next month.

The PHA, the city’s largest landlord, is set to play a significant role in the initiative. PHA President Kelvin Jeremiah has committed to preserving more than 20,000 units across the city. The authority plans to support the city’s housing goals with $4.8 billion over the next eight years.

The plan will count various types of housing towards the initiatives regardless of price point or funding source, including privately developed homes, PHA-subsidized units, homes repaired with public funding and naturally occurring affordable housing.

The initiative comes as Philadelphia faces historically high rents and a limited supply of units catering to low-income residents. The city has taken recent steps to fight the problem, including expanding its right-to-counsel program for tenants facing eviction.

The City Council is also considering legislation to streamline the development process for affordable housing. Councilmember Jamie Gauthier introduced bills to expedite zoning permit reviews and reduce waiting times for Zoning Board of Adjustment hearings for affordable housing projects.

Mayor Parker indicated she will soon announce a “significant financial investment” in housing production and preservation, along with additional legislation to support the H.O.M.E. initiative.

— Holden Walter-Warner