
PHA
recently capped off 2019 with a grand opening for the first
factory-built homes in Sharswood, the Blumberg 83 development, one
week before Christmas. These beautiful, new sustainable,
cost-efficient homes represent the ongoing progress in rebuilding a
long neglected neighborhood in North Philadelphia.

At the beginning of 2019, PHA celebrated the completion of
its new headquarters building, also in Sharswood, at 2013 Ridge
Avenue in late January. This new edifice serves as an anchor along
the Ridge Avenue commercial corridor and is a landmark and beacon
in which residents can take pride.
(Philadelphia, PA - December 30, 2019) - As 2019
comes to a close, the staff and employees of the Philadelphia
Housing Authority (PHA) can take pride in a year of tremendous
achievements.
"The agency made substantial progress in real estate development,
notably in fulfilling the latest phases of the Sharswood
Transformation plan, in reconfiguring its scattered sites
portfolio, and service to both young and old residents," said PHA
President and CEO Kelvin Jeremiah. He also noted that PHA
developments once again were honored by their peers.
PHA recently capped off 2019 with a grand opening for the first
factory-built homes in Sharswood, the Blumberg 83 development, one
week before Christmas. These beautiful, new sustainable,
cost-efficient homes represent the ongoing progress in rebuilding a
long neglected neighborhood in North Philadelphia. At the beginning
of the year, the housing authority celebrated the completion of its
new headquarters building, also in Sharswood, at 2013 Ridge Avenue
in late January. This new edifice serves as an anchor along the
Ridge Avenue commercial corridor and is a landmark and beacon in
which residents can take pride.
Two months later, PHA celebrated the rehabilitation of Sharswood
Tower, a senior residence, and the only high rise still standing
from the former Blumberg development. The tower is the
tallest building around for one mile and has become a landmark for
the area.
PHA successfully auctioned 144 long term vacant scattered site
properties in June as it reconfigured and right-sized its scattered
sites portfolio. The sales generated $8.4 million to be channeled
toward building modern, new affordable housing while putting the
vacant properties back on the tax rolls.
The housing authority made the decision in October to redevelop the
West Park Apartments complex by selling part of the site while
redeveloping the rest with modern, low-rise housing. PHA will
rehabilitate one high-rise for seniors, similar to what was done in
Sharswood. The plan is to reconnect the site to the rest of the
neighborhood while maintaining affordable housing units in a
community with a hot real estate market. The sale will also
generate much needed revenue for redevelopment and avoid costly
repairs that would take PHA years to complete, yet still not bring
them up to modern standards.
The redevelopment of the Vaux Community Building, an EnVision
Center demonstration site, is now 95 percent complete. The site now
hosts a range of services to PHA residents and the broader
community. The building houses PHA's Workforce Development Center
for those seeking self-sufficiency and ten site partners offering
health, dental, and financial services, plus job training and after
school program. PhillySEEDs, Inc. honored 70 PHA residents seeking
higher education with $258,000 in scholarships in July. A total of
almost $1.6 million has now been awarded to 413 residents since
this program began in 2013. Money for the scholarships comes
from PHA's operating budget and funds donated by employees, program
supporters, and vendors.
Service to seniors improved in August as Lyft launched the Grocery
Access Program in Philadelphia, in partnership with PHA and Uplift
Solutions. The program assists North Philadelphia residents living
in food deserts with fresh, healthy grocery options. It offers
local families living in areas surrounding PHA sites throughout
North Philadelphia a $2.50 flat rate fare on eight rides per month
- or one round trip per week - to and from nearby grocery
stores.
Also in August, PHA partnered with the Urban Affairs Coalition to
help seniors become better acquainted with digital technology
through the "Fix IT" program. Young people showed seniors how to go
online for services and access programs such as Facebook. This
program connected local tech-savvy youth with older adults at
several locations. Participating youth learned STEM (science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics) and entrepreneurial
skills.
In November, PHA added service to people with disability through
the Mainstream Voucher Program. A HUD grant award allows the
housing authority to serve 74 more people. Philadelphia has the
highest rate of disability among large U-S cities. With this award,
PHA now has 293 vouchers to assist these individuals. More
recently, PHA received another 25 VASH vouchers to serve veterans
with affordable housing.
PHA was honored several times over by its peers.
Norris Apartments Phase II, part of the Choice Neighborhoods
Implementation Plan in the North Central neighborhood, received
awards from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment
Officials (NAHRO), the Pennsylvania Association of Housing and
Redevelopment Agencies (PAHRA), and 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania,
the leading statewide and regional voice for creating great places
to live and work. The Pennsylvania Apartment Association recognized
Plymouth Hall and Queen Lane Apartments for Maintenance Excellence
in the "Best in Apartment Living" awards run by the
Association.