Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Housing advocates and finance agencies press council to fully fund mayor's HOME initiative and housing trust fund
Summary
Nonprofits, developers, and state housing officials told council the mayor's HOME initiative and proposed housing bond package are needed to preserve affordable housing, support turn-key workforce homes and repairs for low-income homeowners, and to leverage private investment.
Speakers representing developers, nonprofit housing providers, and state housing finance urged Philadelphia City Council to back the mayor's HOME initiative and to invest in the housing trust fund and related programs during the FY26 budget review.
Robin Weismann, executive director and CEO of the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, said she had reviewed the mayor's plan and called the bond proposal to finance $800 million in housing "thoughtful and comprehensive," adding the scale of investment must match the scale of the housing challenge. Weismann said the plan addresses both homeownership preservation and rental housing across income levels.
Nonprofit and for-profit developers urged targeted spending. Carrie Rathman, representing Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia, asked council to prioritize funds for households earning below 80% of area median income, double the funding for the Targeted Housing Preservation Program (from $500,000 to $1,000,000), invest $25 million in the built-to-last program for energy and repairs, create a $4 million quick-strike acquisition fund to curb speculation, and expand down-payment assistance programs. Daoud Bey of Fine Print Companies and founder of a training academy emphasized the workforce-development link, saying city-supported projects created apprenticeships and local jobs.
Andrew Frishkopf of LISC Philadelphia and Abraham Reyes Pardo of the Urban League told council the HOME initiative presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to produce and preserve thousands of units, including workforce housing for teachers and first responders. Multiple witnesses argued preservation and repair of existing housing stock is the most cost-effective way to expand affordable single-family housing.
Why it matters: Speakers said the proposed investments would preserve and create affordable housing, generate construction and related jobs, and leverage private capital. Several testifiers underscored that delayed or reduced funding would halt projects, interrupt apprenticeship training, and slow neighborhood stabilization.
Council did not vote on the housing measures during the public testimony segment.
