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Honoring, recognizing, and supporting the courage of the residents at Brith Sholom House located at 3939 Conshohocken Avenue in their pursuit of safe, fair, accessible, and affordable housing in the City of Philadelphia.
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WHEREAS, The Brith Sholom House, located at 3939 Conshohocken Avenue in the Wynnefield Heights neighborhood of Philadelphia opened in 1968 with funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development's 202 Senior Housing Plan extended in 1972. For more than 50 years, it has served as an independent residence facility for seniors living on fixed incomes, are disabled, or have served in the military; and
WHEREAS, When it was first built, Brith Sholom House was a haven for the elderly community in West Philadelphia. Unfortunately, over the years, the building's owner has driven the building into a state of disrepair; and
WHEREAS, As of today, Brith Sholom House is currently home to approximately 150 senior residents, but currently is at risk of being closed. This would lead to massive displacement for hundreds of seniors, leaving them no place to go. Since 2007, there has been over 293 violations from the Department of Licenses and Inspections within 72 specific cases. As of March 14, 2024, there are currently 107 violations open at Brith Sholom. The Department of Licenses and Inspections has declared that the property is "unsafe" and that the violations constitute an "immediate danger or hazard to health safety and welfare". Historic and ongoing violations at the building include: uninhabitable and unsafe conditions throughout the second floor of the building, inoperable elevators lacking valid inspections from the Commonwealth, mold growths throughout the building, severe structural damage, locked common spaces, infestations include bed bugs, mice, roaches, and racoons, inoperable heating systems, a lack of a fire manifesto, inoperable hot water tanks, non-compliant fire suppressions systems, hazardous plumbing system issues...
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