Title
Authorizing the Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development and the Homeless to hold public hearings to examine aging multiunit structures with expiring Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) contracts to strategize ways to utilize local, state, and federal resources to prevent the displacement of community residents.
Body
WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia is facing an affordable housing crisis; and
WHEREAS, In 1986, the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) provided an indirect federal subsidy incentivizing investors to develop affordable housing; and
WHEREAS, The LIHTC produced approximately 13,000 units of affordable housing in Philadelphia, but property owners who provided affordable housing through this and other subsidy programs were only required to do so for a set number of years, putting residents of these units at risk for displacement once the term of the subsidies ended; and
WHEREAS, Almost 3,600 units in the City of Philadelphia have subsidies set to expire by the end of 2025; and
WHEREAS, No comprehensive plan has been created on the local, state, or federal level to replace these units as the subsidies on these properties expire, allowing property owners to opt out of renewing subsidized rental assistance in favor of converting their properties to market-rate housing; and
WHEREAS, City residents renting in aging multiunit structures with expiring HUD contracts are living in abysmal conditions; and
WHEREAS, In the 4th Council District, for example, residents of Brith Sholom House, whose owners do not have a rental license, are currently facing multiple issues. Nearly 300 senior residents living on fixed incomes have been forced to pay rent on a building that has been cited for multiple code violations, has no working fire suppression system, experiences outages of hot water and heat, and is infested with vermin; and
WHEREAS, It is unacceptable for residents to live in such condition and it is necessary for our local, state and federal governments to come together to examine these issues, including partners from City Council, the Office of the Mayor, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, the Pennsylvania State Senate, and the United States House of Representatives; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby authorizes the Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development and the Homeless to hold public hearings to examine aging multiunit structures with expiring Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) contracts to strategize ways to utilize local, state, and federal resources to prevent the displacement of community residents.
End