Title
Authorizing the City Council Committee on Public Safety to hold hearings concerning the role of the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) as it relates to housing, neighborhood and economic development, social services, reducing crime and building communities.
Body
WHEREAS, Within the last decade, the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) has made major transformations that have had an enormously positive effect on public housing communities, scattered site housing and the City as a whole; and
WHEREAS, The PHA provides healthy housing for a population that, if not provided, would be homeless and contribute to larger impact on our emergency response system; and
WHEREAS, The PHA also partners with the office of Supportive Housing to provide housing opportunities for the homeless and individuals and families in transition; and
WHEREAS, The PHA created the Sparkle Plus Program and beautifies neighborhoods with greening projects such as flowers, trees, and lighting; and
WHEREAS, The PHA has earned the confidence of private equity investors and banks as a result of its outstanding management expertise by securing over one-half billion dollars in capital funding, over three hundred million in tax credits and historic tax credits, and over one-half billion dollars in construction costs; and
WHEREAS, PHA's successful redevelopment efforts provide indisputable proof that an effectively managed public agency can generate results equal to or better than any private sector organization, while remaining true to its core mission to serve the public good; and
WHEREAS, PHA currently owns and manages more than 15,800 housing units in over thirty-one conventional public housing developments, at least five scattered site management areas, over ten alternatively managed developments and over fifteen newly renovated or constructed Low Income Housing Tax Credit sites; and
WHEREAS, The PHA maintains a high level of productivity, collecting over 93 per...
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