(Philadelphia, PA – July 15, 2021) – The Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) has won four Awards of Merit recognizing achievement and innovation from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO).

The Authority earned a record number of awards this year as it adapted its operations and added new services to support residents and the City during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two of PHA’s newest housing developments, Blumberg 83 and North Central Phase 3 –won Awards of Merit in the housing design category. Blumberg 83, which used modular
construction, enabled PHA to build units more quickly and meet the City’s growing demand for affordable housing. Blumberg’s construction started in May, 2019; the first occupants moved in Jan. 2020. Blumberg 83 consists of 83 energy-efficient rental apartments spread across a mix of townhomes and multi-unit walk-up buildings in harswood.

The remote learning centers, equipped with high-speed Wi-Fi access and desks for students in select PHA developments, and the strategy created by the maintenance team to address cleaning and the backlog of work orders during the pandemic – were recognized in the categories of resident services and administrative innovations respectively.

Since returning to full duty after the lockdown, the PHA maintenance team has reduced open service orders from over 17,000 to under 5,100 in February, when the nominations were submitted.

The NAHRO Agency Awards Program is a two-tiered program consisting of the Awards of Merit and the Awards of Excellence. The first tier of the program, the Awards of Merit, are submitted to National NAHRO and sent to Regional Juries for review. The second tier of the program, the Awards of Excellence, are nominated by the Regional Juries from the Awards of Merit winners and sent to National Juries for final selection. Up to 24 Awards of Excellence may be presented in a given year.

“Though the pandemic affected how and where we worked. PHA was able to modify operations so we could continue to serve the city’s most vulnerable during this tragedy,” Kelvin A. Jeremiah, President & CEO PHA said. “We reimagined the work process and reconsidered what residents needed most from us. It made us a stronger organization.”

(Philadelphia, PA – June 21, 2021) – June is National Homeownership month. The Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) has assisted more than 500 residents become homeowners. This year, despite the pandemic, sales are strong. PHA’s Homeownership Opportunities Program is experiencing the highest number of sales in the last 10 years. By the end of the June, 40 PHA residents will have purchased homes.

Dwayne Fair recently bought the North Philadelphia home that his family had leased for nearly 52 years from the PHA. After Fair’s mom had become ill in 2012, she asked her children to buy the home for the family who had been living there since 1968. She has raised her eight children there and this home is woven into the family’s history. Fair promised his mother that he would he would find some way to buy the house.

“Mr. Fair embodies the definition of self-determination,” said Kelvin A. Jeremiah, President and CEO of the Philadelphia Housing Authority. “He and other families are learning important skills that will not only be applied to their new financial journey, but also will be passed onto their own personal family members and friends. In addition, our comprehensive homeownership program and partners help them to qualify for the best possible mortgage rates, and avoid some of the past pitfalls to homeownership.”

The Authority offers three paths to homeownership – one for public housing residents, one for Housing Choice Voucher residents and a third called Mobility Homeownership Program, which is open to any PHA resident.

Every new homeowner went through PHA’s homeownership readiness process, where they saved $2,000 through new budgeting skills, and completed credit counseling to obtain at least a 620 middle credit score. They also received one-on-one housing counseling and a pre-approval letter from a lender or bank. After completing the readiness process, the resident met with a PHA homeownership counselor to discuss their options with PHA.
Qualified residents also receive mortgage and down payment assistance through several programs, including the Mobility Homeownership Program, First Front Door Grant, PhillySEEDS (PHA’s nonprofit affiliate), Philly First Home, and lenders/banks such as PNC and Santander Bank.

20 families now home at non-profit’s latest affordable housing community.

(Philadelphia – June 8, 2021) – TOn Tuesday, June 8, Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Housing Authority will celebrate the completion of Oxford Green, a 20-unit affordable home community in the Sharswood neighborhood of North Philadelphia. The homes were purchased by families who completed Habitat’s Homeownership Program.

“The homes at Oxford Green will provide a safe, warm, and dry place to live for years to come,” said Corinne O’Connell, Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia CEO. “We are proud to work alongside these homeowners who have faced countless challenges over the past year to make this day possible. We also know that we cannot do this work alone, and are fortunate to have partners like the Philadelphia Housing Authority, which shares our vision of a city where everyone has a decent place to live.”

Habitat broke ground on the homes in May 2019 and was forced to pause during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Now, these 20 homes stand as an example of what can be accomplished when organizations come together in pursuit of a shared goal.

Vouchers would go to homeless and other vulnerable populations

(Philadelphia – May 18, 2021) – Homeless families and those at risk of becoming homeless in Philadelphia will soon have an opportunity for permanent homes, thanks to an infusion of 863 Emergency Housing Vouchers to the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The vouchers, worth more than $10 million, come from the American Rescue Plan, the $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill pass by Congress and signed into law by President Biden in March.

In addition to providing permanent homeless to individuals and families or those at risk of homelessness, the vouchers can be used for those fleeing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking or human trafficking.

“This funding will allow us to help so many more people in desperate situations,” said PHA President and CEO Kelvin A. Jeremiah. “We are grateful to our elected officials in Washington for understanding the circumstances that confront our society and meeting this critical housing need. I would like to thank HUD’s Secretary Marcia Fudge for moving swiftly to make these essential vouchers available, and for making affordable housing a federal priority.”

The emergency vouchers work the same as regular Housing Choice Vouchers. A recipient rents a house or apartment from a private landlord and pays 30 percent of their household income toward the rent. The voucher pays the rest.

The emergency housing voucher waiting list is separate from PHA’s regular Housing Choice Voucher waiting list, where because of the tremendous demand, families must often wait years to climb to the top of the list. The emergency vouchers are intended for people with urgent needs, ranging from disabled citizens to veterans to those escaping dangerous situations. Ultimately, this his allocation of vouchers will help Philadelphians find and remain in housing, at a time when the VOVID-19 pandemic has highlighted serious disparities in low-income communities.

“Frankly, we can never have enough homes for all low-income households in Philadelphia, so not everyone who applies and qualifies will receive a voucher,” Jeremiah noted. “Applicants should also know that although this will be a separate waiting list, the process for applying can still be long and complicated.”