Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker shares plan to make housing more affordable in city
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker on Monday unveiled a plan to invest $2 billion in programs to build and preserve 30,000 homes for the city and make housing more affordable.
She discussed the proposal, known as the Housing Opportunities Made Easy Housing Plan, during a special session of City Council.
"Beyond public safety, there is no more pressing issue for Philadelphia than access to housing," Parker said.
Some of the details Parker shared during the address include:
- A goal to produce 13,500 new housing units and preserve 16,500 units for renters and homeowners.
- A program called ONE Philly Mortgage to make mortgages more available and more affordable.
- A clearinghouse to protect residents from "unscrupulous contractors."
- A curbside appeal program to provide matching grants to improve the appearance of blocks.
The plan also includes a "multipronged approach" for using publicly owned vacant land for housing, according to Parker's office.
Maintaining and expanding existing housing programs is also part of the proposal, according to a news release from the mayor's office.
Parker said recent housing data shows that much of Philadelphia's new construction is geared toward higher-income residents, creating an imbalance.
"For certain market segments, we actually have more units than we need, but these units are intended for higher-income households that can pay more," she said.
The proposal is part of Parker's proposed $6.7 billion budget, which also calls for $168 million for public safety and cuts to wage and business taxes.
