Mayor Parker’s H.O.M.E. (Housing Opportunities Made Easy) Initiative is the single largest and most ambitious housing plan in Philadelphia’s modern history. When complete, the city will have 30,000 housing units built, preserved, and renovated. This initiative will not just help make housing in Philadelphia more affordable and higher quality, but will help promote economic mobility and make Philadelphia safer, cleaner, greener, and with economic opportunity for all.
This blog post accompanies the new data being released on Philly Stat 360’s site that provides greater insight into Mayor Parker’s H.O.M.E. Initiative. The new H.O.M.E. Initiative page breaks down this ambitious plan into manageable chunks, showing how it will positively impact residents and communities all across the city.
Understanding why dramatic action is needed
The H.O.M.E. Initiative page uncovers the urgent truth about housing in Philadelphia: most homes in Philadelphia are old and expensive to maintain. Using the interactive maps and charts on the page shows what the housing stock looks like in every neighborhood, and you can even zoom in to where you live.
The tools on the Philly Stat 360 page show the rates of home ownership by council district as well as the cost burden in all neighborhoods across the city. This important data shows how many people in the different council districts pay 30% or more of their total income each month on housing.
Showing what is being done
The next sections on the site show how the H.O.M.E. Initiative will take action. These easy-to-digest charts show the number of housing units preserved by Council District. These preserved units include homes that took part in the Basic Systems Repair Program, Adaptive Modification Program, and other City programs that help homeowners stay in their homes. You can also see the programs that will be created or expanded as part of the H.O.M.E. Initiative.
The next section shows the work the City is doing to contribute directly to the housing supply. This includes the number of units of affordable housing built, including through the Turn the Key program, a partnership between local developers and the City, which builds houses then sells them to Philadelphians making 100% or less of the area’s median income. By showing how those new properties are spread across the Council District, Philly Stat 360 shows how these H.O.M.E. Initiative programs will improve housing in every neighborhood.
Why this matters
These programs aim to build, restore, and renovate 30,000 units of housing. By investing directly in Philadelphia, the H.O.M.E. Initiative will provide a once-in-a-generation boost to economic growth and mobility for residents across the city. Helping stabilize and improve the city’s housing stock will boost our economy, both by providing new jobs and by helping reduce how much it costs to live in Philadelphia. In turn, these programs will build generational wealth, reduce crime, and make sure that Philly remains the most affordable big city in America.
The H.O.M.E. Initiative Philly Stat 360 page is designed with transparency in mind, and every chart, map, and graphic is to be informative but easy to understand. Ensuring transparency in this major project is critical to this and ensures the success for all Philadelphians.
