by pcacadmin | Jan 29, 2019 | Accessible Housing, Affordable Housing, Displacement, Election, Gentrificaton, Philadelphia
My name is Emma; I was born here in Philadelphia and grew up mostly in the Wynnefield section of the city. I grew up on a block where everyone knew everyone. It was a working class neighborhood and the American dream was alive and well. I now live in South Philly and I work in North Philly at the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). LIHEAP helps low income families with heating expenses and makes referrals to the city for individuals who need basic system repair assistance. I spend a lot of my free time wandering all over the city, this city that holds some of my dearest memories, the city that I love. The city has changed over the years, sometimes for the better and sometimes not so much. There are new houses coming up in old neighborhoods that changes how much it costs to live there. As a renter, I can tell you that it is almost impossible to find decent affordable housing. I have dealt with landlords who weren’t legal, who would not keep up repairs on the property, but whose prices were reasonable. Then when I would find a decent property, the rent would be almost double in price. There shouldn’t be such a disparity in pricing for decent housing in this city. Decent, affordable housing needs to be treated as a right and not a privilege. Working at LIHEAP I hear stories everyday about the hardships people are having with housing. Recently, I spoke to a client that is 97 years young who worked hard all of her life. She married, raised 3 children...
by pcacadmin | May 21, 2015 | Affordable Housing, Election, Gentrificaton
The Philadelphia Coalition for Affordable Communities has been paying close attention to this primary election. Our Development without Displacement campaign’s goal of securing more money for affordable accessible housing and urban agriculture will need strong City Council people to write and pass legislation that will increase funding for the City’s Housing Trust Fund. While the news of Jim Kenney’s win dominates the headlines, PCAC has been paying more attention to the City Council race because City Council will write and vote on our legislation. Tuesday night’s election results bring a mix of returning council members whose support for affordable housing is known and a new group of potential allies and untested individuals. Philadelphia is changing. There’s a sense of optimism in the way that Philadelphia politicians are welcoming new-comers and real estate investment to Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. Yet that optimism is overshadowed by the gentrification ushered in by some real estate developers who are speculating on our neighborhoods, driving up housing costs and displacing working class families. In North, South and West Philadelphia where 77% of new market housing has been built in the past five years, housing costs are increasing rapidly. 50% of renter households in these neighborhoods are paying more than they can afford in rent and over 30% of homeowners are also spending too much of their income on housing. Let’s take a look at some key races whose outcomes will influence the rate that Philadelphia will gentrify. The 2nd District: Tuesday night, incumbent Kenyatta Johnson won over challenger and real estate developer Ori Feibush. South Philly has seen the median home sale price increase 184% between...
by pcacadmin | May 14, 2015 | Election, Philadelphia, Uncategorized
The Primary Election is next week (Tuesday, May 19th) and Philadelphians have an opportunity to elect (or re-elect) members of City Council, along with a new Mayor. Who gets elected will have a profound impact on the future of our city, as they will decide which policies get enacted – and which don’t. Two of our Coalition’s steering committee members, Nora Lichtasch and Tom Earle, co-wrote an op-ed in the Philadelphia Daily News reminding voters to choose leaders with public-policy goals that encourage equitable community development and represent plans that include people of all income levels in the future of our neighborhoods. Their words are critically important to keep in mind when you head to the polls on Tuesday. Our Coalition has put a proposal forward to expand and protect affordability in gentrifying neighborhoods by applying a 1.5% Anti-Speculation Tax on ‘flipped houses’ (those bought and resold within 24 months). It has the potential to generate up to $12 million in additional revenue for the Philadelphia Housing Trust Fund that can literally change thousands of lives. Since its inception in 2010, the Housing Trust Fund has dedicated 50% of its proceeds to improving housing options for families earning less than $20,000 per year and has provided housing opportunities to more than 14,000 low- and moderate-income families, seniors, disabled, and homeless people to date. We found that in 2013, more than 6,000 real estate transactions in the City fit the description of flipped houses, at an estimated total value of $782 million. In addition to that figure clearly indicating a very profitable business practice, many of those transactions were discovered...
