Mayor Cherelle Parker unveiled Philadelphia's next steps on Wednesday to create or preserve 30,000 housing units, an ambitious campaign goal that she described as a "journey" requiring commitment from city leaders and other stakeholders.
At a news conference joined by housing advocates, developers and other city officials, Parker signed an executive order formally launching her Housing Opportunities Made Easy (H.O.M.E) initiative. The move will establish a group of advisers tasked with creating and implementing her housing plan in the years to come.
"It is the next step of many in this administration that will continue to move us forward," Parker said.
The mayor appointed Angela D. Brooks, president of the American Planning Association and Illinois director of the Corporation for Supportive Housing, to serve as Philadelphia's head of housing and urban development.
"I've been going around the country — really around the world — thinking about the housing crisis and how it impacts our cities and how it impacts the neighborhoods and the communities that we want our residents to live in," said Brooks, whose background includes training workers on how to develop affordable homes and administering loans for housing development.
As part of Parker's plan, private and nonprofit developers will work alongside the Philadelphia Housing Authority, Building Industry Association of Philadelphia, General Building Contractors Association and the Building & Construction Trades Council.
The mayor said the H.O.M.E initiative will aim to develop supportive housing at various income levels for both renters and aspiring home owners.
"We will not pit the have-nots against those who have just a little bit," Parker said.
'A streamlined approach'
There were few details Wednesday about how and where the city will dedicate its resources to create new homes or renovate existing properties.
Parker said her administration will soon propose "a significant financial investment" to be reviewed by City Council for the production and preservation of housing. She will present her budget to City Council next month and plans to develop housing legislation in partnership with council members.
"We want a streamlined approach so we can get shovels in the ground," Parker said, adding that reforms will be needed to clear common hurdles to housing development.
The Philadelphia Housing Authority, which manages more than 12,000 public housing units and administers federal vouchers for more than 22,000 families, will commit $4.8 billion to expansion and preservation in Philadelphia over the next eight years.
"We intend to preserve more than 13,000 units across this great city and expand affordable housing by about 7,000 units," PHA President Kelvin Jeremiah said Wednesday.
He recommended that Parker and the City Council come up with a plan to dedicate an additional $2 billion toward the mayor's housing initiatives.
Parker's plan is taking shape against the backdrop of President Donald Trump's aggressive purging of federal agencies, a process that has been led by Elon Musk's DOGE initiative. Cuts at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which manages housing vouchers and other aid programs for low-income families, could slash as much as 50% of the workforce.
“I won’t allow an election or any kind of politics get in the way of us doing our work,” Parker said. “We’re going to rely on all of our elected leaders to help us navigate those structures and systems."
Seeking affordable housing solutions
For years, the expansion of Philadelphia's housing supply has been constrained by factors including zoning limits on neighborhood density and obstacles to the sale of vacant, city-owned properties. One of those barriers has been the practice of allowing City Council members to hold control over land-use decisions in their districts, an informal practice known as councilmanic prerogative.
Parker, who served two terms on City Council representing the 9th District in parts of Northwest and Northeast Philadelphia, said she does not envision her plan upending the way council members have operated to serve their constituents.
"Councilmanic prerogative in land-use, that is one of the most valuable roles of a district councilperson," Parker said.
Although Philadelphia is among the more affordable large cities in the United States, the Pew Charitable Trusts reported last year that the city's supply of affordable homes has been plummeting since the turn of the century. The city's rate of home ownership declined from 59% of households in 2000 to 53% by 2021.
The city plans to lean on housing data experts to identify where the city most needs homes and what kinds of solutions will make them more affordable, Parker said Wednesday.
The Reinvestment Fund, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that fosters equitable housing markets, will be among the organizations sharing insights with the H.O.M.E initiative to address issues such as restrictive mortgage lending and racial bias in home valuation appraisals.
"We are working to bring together the best data that is going to be reflective of the housing shortage in the city of Philadelphia — where it is, what kind it is, for people who rent and own at varying price points," Ira Goldstein, senior adviser of policy solutions for the Reinvestment Fund, said Wednesday. "… All of that will inform the way this plan gets done because there are a variety of needs."
Brooks said she's confident about the H.O.M.E initiative's agenda in the coming months and believes the mayor's targets can be met.
"It won't be easy, but it is achievable," Brooks said.