Cheryl Hill, who has spent three decades working in affordable housing and homeless services, has been tapped by Mayor Cherelle Parker to serve as the executive director of Philadelphia's Office of Homeless Services.
Hill most recently served as senior vice president of supportive housing operations at Project HOME. She'll lead an office that is responsible for funding more than 70 housing and service providers, providing homelessness prevention and diversion aid, and offering emergency or temporary housing to people at risk of homelessness.
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Hill succeeds interim Executive Director David Holloman, who is returning to his role as OHS chief of staff.
"This is a critical time for our city, and I look forward to collaborating with David Holloman, our partners, and the community to develop strategies that build on our strengths to address homelessness in innovative, compassionate, and impactful ways that benefit all Philadelphians," Hill said in a statement.
Hill will be responsible for overseeing operations of an office that fell under scrutiny late last year. A report from the city's inspector general found the office overspent its budget by $15 million from 2021 through early 2024 and knowingly agreed to housing contracts that it couldn't afford.
Parker and her administration also have been criticized for clearing out homeless encampments in Kensington, particularly for police officers arriving to dismantle one encampment earlier than stated.
At Project HOME, a nonprofit that works to end poverty and homelessness, Hill managed a $20 million annual budget and oversaw 200 staff members. During her tenure, she also served as a vice president of property and asset management.
Prior to her work there, Hill was a director of compliance for the Atlanta Housing Authority, auditing voucher-based and public housing. She also spent time as an affordable housing consultant, developing a data collection module, preventing evictions during the 2008 foreclosure crisis and helping with emergency housing during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
"Cheryl's deep experience developing and managing programs that help individuals and families — who are often at the lowest point in their lives — put a roof over their heads and thrive, will be an asset to the City of Philadelphia," Parker said. "She will lead OHS down a path of focused, improved, fiscally responsible delivery of service to Philadelphia's most marginalized population.”
