Mayor signs executive order adding 1,000 shelter beds to system as part of the City’s efforts to end street homelessness

Watch the State of the City | Read the State of the City Report | View Event Photos

PHILADELPHIA — Mayor Cherelle L. Parker hosted her second State of the City event today at Temple University. In front of a large crowd of Parker administration officials and city employees, Mayor Parker highlighted key successes and accomplishments from the administration’s second year during the 2025 State of the City event. The 2025 State of the City report was also released at the event. To view or download the report, click here.

The 2025 State of the City Report outlines the progress Philadelphia has made over the past year while setting a clear course for continued growth, safety, and opportunity for all residents. The report highlights historic reductions in violent crime, continued neighborhood revitalization efforts, and strategic investments in education, housing, public safety, and economic mobility—demonstrating the impact of focused, data-driven leadership and collaboration across City government.

Among the report’s key findings, Philadelphia has achieved significant declines in homicides and shootings, reflecting targeted public safety strategies and community-based investments. Citywide quality-of-life initiatives have expanded significantly, delivering large-scale cleaning, greening, and infrastructure improvements across neighborhoods. The report also details progress in education, including expanded before- and after-school programming in dozens of public and charter schools, helping students thrive inside and outside the classroom.

Looking ahead, the 2025 State of the City Report underscores the City’s commitment to building a safer, cleaner, and more inclusive Philadelphia as it prepares for major milestones, including America’s 250th anniversary in 2026.

During her State of the City speech, Mayor Parker momentarily paused her remarks in order to sign an executive order with the stated goal of ending street homelessness in Philadelphia.

Surrounded by key administration officials and external advocates on the issue, the mayor signed Executive Order No. 7-25, which directs the Office of Homeless Services, under the direction of the Managing Director, and in coordination with other City agencies, to “facilitate access and provide financial support to operate 1,000 new shelter beds, assisting those experiencing street homelessness.”

The executive order directs that these new shelter beds be operational by January 31, 2026.

“For Mayor Parker and for me, “One Philly” is more than a mantra – it is a sacred call to action,” said Chief of Staff Tiffany Thurman during the State of the City event. “It signifies our commitment to this city above all else, and it is my distinct honor as Chief of Staff to ensure that unity is the bedrock of every policy, every permit, and every prayer we send up for Philadelphia.”

Read Mayor Parker’s State of the City Address below. Remarks are as prepared for delivery on December 19, 2025. 

Good morning, everyone! I am so grateful to be here with all of you for our Second annual State of the City in the Parker administration!

Senior Leaders in our Parker administration, starting with our tremendous Chief of Staff, Tiffany Thurman, our terrific Chief Deputy Mayors, Vanessa Garrett Harley and Sincere Harris, and every Cabinet member and senior official here today, Thank you for your SERVICE!

City employees, external stakeholders, business leaders, and a special word to our Host, Temple University and President John Fry – THANK YOU for ALL DO for our City.

Elected officials at the City, State and Federal levels – WELCOME.

To our colleagues from the City Council of Philadelphia, Councilmembers Nina Ahmad, Cindy Bass, Jamie Gauthier, Nic O’Rourke, Mark Squilla, Jeffery Young, Kendra Brooks, Rue Landau, and Anthony Phillips thank you for your service to Philadelphia and all our residents.

From our STRONG Legislative delegation in Harrisburg, I want to thank our Senate Appropriations Chairman, Senator Vincent Hughes, and Senator Sharif Street for joining us today.

Our friends in Organized Labor –  AFSCME District Council 33, District Council 47, FOP Lodge 5, Local 22 of the Firefighters Union and the steelworkers, the Building Trades and Ryan Boyer — Thank you for all you do every day for your rank and file and your willingness to engage with the Parker administration.

I am a Pro-Labor, Pro-Union Mayor and I am unapologetic about that!

President Fry, thank you so much for welcoming me and our Administration this morning to Temple University’s beautiful Performing Arts Center.

Our purpose today is to highlight our substantive work and accomplishments – working collaboratively and intergovernmentally – during the Second Year of the Parker administration, as we seek to execute on our vision of a Safer, Cleaner, Greener Philadelphia, with Access to Economic Opportunity for All.

I am here today to proudly report: The State of our City is STRONG and GOOD, and we are moving in the RIGHT DIRECTION, Philadelphia!

Let’s go through some highlights from 2025. I encourage everyone to read the full State of the City Report. You’ll learn much more about everything we’ve done together this year.

There can be no discussion of what the Parker administration achieved this year without talking about the historic contract agreements that we reached with our municipal union workforce in 2025.

Before we do that however, I want to take a moment to acknowledge all the City employees in the room with us today.

All the work of the Parker administration, which you’ve seen highlighted in the videos and the comments of senior leaders on stage today, all gets DONE by the hard-working employees who serve the City of Philadelphia.

Can all the City Employees in the room today please stand for a Moment of Recognition?

We started the year showing how much we valued our municipal workers by including $550 million in a labor reserve over the Five Year Plan – the largest sum ever.

Then, through long and yes, at times-challenging negotiations, we reached three-year agreements with AFSCME District Council 33 and District Council 47 in July, after the city and its residents endured an 8-day work stoppage by DC 33.

We got through it, it wasn’t easy, but we persevered, we found common ground, and we reached fair and fiscally responsible agreements with DC 33 and DC 47 that included wage increases, bonuses and other provisions to support all of the individuals who work so hard – every day – for the people of Philadelphia.

They were HISTORIC pay increases for our city workers – the largest in one term from any Philadelphia Mayor in over 30 YEARS!

Don’t listen to what I say … Watch what we do!

In August, an arbitration panel issued an award between Lodge 5 of the Fraternal Order of Police and the City. It was a 2-year agreement with wage increases, a bonus and other important provisions for both the union and the City.

We’re still working hard to finalize contracts with the Firefighters and Prison bargaining units, and I am CONFIDENT we will ACHIEVE that in 2026.

We VALUE every one of our municipal workers, and I believe they are the best municipal workforce in the Country!

None of this hard, challenging work would have been possible without the tireless effort of Chief Deputy Mayor Sincere Harris and her entire team, including Cara Leheny, Lauren Fox, and other city leaders and staff including Carlton Williams, Candi Jones, Camille Duchaussee, Vanessa Garrett Harley, Tiffany Thurman, Cat Lamb, Harry Hansen, Liz Mitchell and others, and we are grateful for their service!!

With less than two weeks to go in 2025, Philadelphia is approaching a 50-year historic LOW in homicides and shootings – and that decline is more significant compared with 20 other major U.S. cities!

This isn’t idle rhetoric. This is from The Pew Charitable Trusts – national experts – which analyzed data from major American cities and found that Philadelphia’s rate of homicide reductions is outpacing 20 other major cities.

In addition, Pew analyzed, compared and contrasted its findings from several polls in 2022 and 2025 and found  that Philadelphians are feeling safer now then they did when homicide rates were higher.

None of it is happening by accident. Our laser focus on our comprehensive Public Safety Strategy that we employ, which centers on Prevention, Intervention and Enforcement – we call it P.I.E. — coupled with close and daily collaboration between our Philadelphia Police Department, our Office of Public Safety, and community-based partners is driving crime down and achieving real and measurable public safety results for our residents.

All while we continue to fund community-based violence prevention programs – because they work. We invested $25 million this year in community-based programs and you see the results!

Thank you, Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel and Chief Public Safety Director Adam Geer!

Our streets and neighborhoods are getting Cleaner and Greener, block by block, and day by day.

The hard work of our Office of Clean and Green Initiatives, Sanitation Department, Streets Department, and numerous other agencies led to over 94,000 quality of life actions this year – that’s block and vacant lot cleanups, pothole repairs and street cleanings.

Carlton Williams, our Clean and Green Director! Crystal Jacobs Shipman, our tremendous Sanitation Commissioner! Kristin Del Rossi, our Streets Commissioner! WE SEE YOUR WORK! GRATEFUL for it!

It’s having an IMPACT! Twice-a-week Trash collections are here, and they’ll continue growing across the city! Next Stop: NORTH PHILLY!

Taking Care of Business, or TCB, our neighborhood commercial corridor cleaning program, reports a 50 percent REDUCTION in litter along corridors cleaned by TCB contractors since 2022.

Don’t listen to what we say – watch what we DO!

We’re expanding Access to Economic Opportunity for All.

Our City College for Municipal Employment – CCME for short – has opened academic opportunities and career pathways for more than 200 Philadelphians since it opened its doors at the Community College of Philadelphia in 2024.

That’s all about collaboration – CCP, the School District of Philadelphia, our City of Philadelphia, and PhilaWorks.

CCME leads graduates towards City employment – good-paying jobs with benefits and connecting pathways towards economic opportunity.

One recent graduate of CCME is here with us today!

Connie Ford is a lifelong Philadelphian, who completed CCME successfully and was hired by the Philadelphia Police Department’s Human Resources team.

Connie, please stand up and be recognized!

Chief Administrative Officer Camille Duchaussee, THANK YOU, along with Carol De Fries, Dr. Watlington and Dr. Marshall, CCP’s new president.

For so long, Philadelphia’s been known (and rightfully so) as the home of Eds and Meds, and our tremendous educational and medical institutions produce a multitude of jobs and opportunity for our residents.

There’s so much MORE  happening in terms of economic opportunity in our City right now.

Hanwa at the Navy Yard – think Shipbuilding and ENORMOUS economic opportunities for our workforce …

Drink PAK, a new anchoring institution at the Bellwether District, and what that can mean for jobs! …

Through our JumpStart program at the Department of Commerce, we’re investing $38 million in small businesses to help them navigate changes to how the City’s BIRT tax is administered.

Economic Opportunity for All is a PRIORITY for the Parker administration and it’s only JUST BEGUN.

We need more Housing in Philadelphia, and we need it now.

In March, I was proud to send the largest, most ambitious housing plan ever in City history to City Council for consideration – my $2 Billion Housing Opportunities Made Easy Plan, H.O.M.E. for short. [Andre Del Valle!]

Our goal is bold AND achievable: 30,000 units of housing built, restored or repaired.

But it’s MORE than that. Thanks to our strong and growing intergovernmental partnership with the best leader on public housing in the country, Kelvin Jeremiah and the Philadelphia Housing Authority, our shared goal is really 50,000 units of housing for Philadelphians.

PHA’s plan envisions 20,000 units of affordable housing for people at 30 percent or lower AMI. When you add in our H.O.M.E. goal of 30,000 units – you reach 50,000 units!

H.O.M.E. invests in proven housing programs that work – like the Basic Systems Repair Program or BSRP, and it is also creating exciting new programs like One Philly Mortgage, offering low mortgage rates, no private mortgage insurance and the opportunity for people to buy their first homes and put down roots here in Philly.

The need for housing in Philadelphia is urgent and we WILL succeed in executing on this historic program to help existing homeowners repair and restore their homes, new homebuyers to put down roots here, and renters who need assistance across our City.

Why is this so important?

Philadelphia is a City of Rowhomes.

70 percent of Philly homes are ROWHOMES.

And 75 percent of them are over 50 years old!

I am unapologetic about my campaign to Save Philly Rowhomes – and to save them now!

We MUST serve as MANY Philadelphians as possible and leave No Philadelphian behind!

Angela Brooks, our Chief Housing & Urban Development Officer … Jessie Lawrence, our Director of Planning & Development … EVERYONE on their teams … all under the strong supervision of Chief of Staff Tiffany Thurman … and along with our partners in City Council led by Council President Kenyatta Johnson … Let’s Press Forward Together for the People of Philadelphia!

We’re investing more in Education, because our children are our best hope for a brighter future for Philadelphia.

In our first One Philly budget, we shifted almost $25 million in property tax revenue to the School District.  Our second five year plan shifts another $12 million starting in FY30.

I promised when I became Mayor that I would shift 3 percent of property tax revenues to our Schools. Two years into my term, we’ve shifted 1.5 percent to Schools! WE ARE KEEPING OUR PROMISE TO OUR CHILDREN.

We now fund before- and after-school educational enrichment programs in 40 schools – both traditional public and charter schools – in a program called Extended Day, Extended Year.

We’ve invested $35 Million with the School District to implement ED/EY citywide!

There are 12,000 Extended Day, Extended Year slots available for our children and we will KEEP GROWING this program because all the data shows it gives our kids the chance they need to succeed in the future!

When our kids have access to high quality educational enrichment programs like Extended Day, Extended Year, it enhances their ability and opportunity to succeed – just like these programs do for kids in wealthier districts.

Our kids deserve the SAME opportunities and that’s why I’m so PROUD of what ED/EY is delivering to so many children in our City.

Dr. Deb Carrera, our Chief Education Officer, and Sharon Ward, our Deputy Chief Education Officer, THANK YOU for all you do for our children!

Dr. Tony Watlington, our amazing Schools Superintendent, and Reginald Streater, School Board President – we deeply VALUE our relationships with you!

When I took office as your Mayor in January 2024 – 24 months ago – I promised to do everything possible and use every tool in the toolbox to END the open-air drug market in Kensington and work with longtime residents to help restore dignity and pride in their proud community once again – the place they call “Home.”

Well, we are NOT done yet, not by a LONG shot, and no one is claiming victory, but if you look closely along Kensington or Allegheny Avenues, you might see something that has been in short supply for far too long:  HOPE.

Serious and violent crime is down dramatically in Kensington. Shootings are down 27 percent, gunpoint robberies declined 47 percent.

Our Police Department seized over $4.6 Million in narcotics this year, including $2.6 million in Fentanyl.

It’s not just numbers and data, folks – it’s PEOPLE.

In the Kensington Police District, it’s Police Officers Mike Wagner and Gage Wright, walking the beat, engaging with people who need help and access to care – and checking in on local businesses too.

But Kensington’s revival is about so much more than policing.

Thanks to our Office of Public Safety and Director Adam Geer, we created an innovative Neighborhood Wellness Court – working closely with our Philadelphia Judicial System and our judges – and we are giving people a chance to choose treatment and a path of wellness instead of incarceration.

Thank you Director Geer! And thank you to the First Judicial District and every intergovernmental partner we’re working with to create and operate the Wellness Court! First Deputy Director Evangelia Manos! Chief Deputy Mayor Garrett Harley Collaboration MATTERS and it WORKS!

And we are doing so much more on these issues …

In January of this year, we opened Riverview Wellness Village, a comprehensive recovery facility, built in just 90 days on the grounds of a former city nursing home in Northeast Philly alongside the Delaware River.

Thank you Managing Director Thiel and EVERY city worker and member of Organized Labor who worked around the clock for weeks and months to get this DONE.

Public Property Commissioner Joe Brasky! Deputy Managing Director Crystal Yates Gale! Riverview Director Isabel McDevitt! Capital Programs Director Aparna Palantino!  I SEE YOU!!!!!

In just 12 months, Riverview is doing what we always imagined and believed that it could do — giving people a real chance to continue their recovery with mental and behavioral treatment, job counseling, housing assistance, and everything they need to find a new opportunity, and a chance to live again. ALL IN ONE PLACE!

There are over 200 people living in Riverview on a daily basis, finding their way back to dignity and an end to pain and suffering, one moment of care at a time.

That is what Compassion looks like in the Parker administration!

We’re not doing any of this alone. We have partners like Merakey, the Black Doctor’s Consortium, Gaudenzia, WES and others. We are grateful for their partnership and collaboration.

We have a model now and we KNOW that it works, and we are going to employ that SAME model to attack the problems associated with street homelessness in Philadelphia!

I must say here — when we announced our plans for Riverview, there were many who said it couldn’t be done. There were people saying we were “criminalizing addiction”. To all those naysayers, I now say, LET THEM COME TO RIVERVIEW!

There is more to do, and we are not resting.

As Philadelphia continues to experience street homelessness across the city, the Parker Administration is working with nonprofit service providers and health system leaders to go one step further in our proactive approach to expanding more shelter beds in the current ecosystem.

Our Partners in this next step include Jefferson Health System – Nurse Practitioner pro bono services, PHL Cares.

We are especially thankful to Jefferson Health CEO Dr. Joseph G. Cacchione, and to PHA President and CEO Kelvin A. Jeremiah.

Joe and Kelvin, you demonstrate the power of a true Public-Private Partnership – it’s what we need!

We WILL bring 1,000 new beds on-line this winter to help end street homelessness!

We’re calling this our “One Philly Plan to End Street Homelessness in Philadelphia”.

We are not just focusing on this winter and the Enhanced Code Blue that we just experienced over the last week – we are seeking long-term solutions.

Solutions that will not only provide an expanded quality shelter system, but with more beds in safe, clean and welcoming environments, we know this may be the first step that someone entering a shelter takes toward addiction treatments, mental and behavioral health and medical services.

You’ve seen what’s taking place at Riverview. It’s working! We know that same collaborative approach will help us get more people off the streets and back into a productive and stable lifestyle.

We want to END Street Homelessness in Philly!

Don’t listen to what we say. WATCH WHAT WE DO!

We’re now going to sign an Executive Order memorializing our Administration’s Plan to End Street Homelessness in Philadelphia.

As we do that, we’re going to show you a news video clip on homelessness in Philadelphia.

That video clip you just saw shared statistics about overall homelessness in the City. The number of individuals who are living on the streets – meaning they are not in shelters or “couch surfing” – was 1,178 in 2025. This is an important distinction because not everyone who is homeless is living on the streets. But just like the overall number of people experiencing homelessness is increasing, the number of people specifically experiencing street homelessness has also been increasing. That’s what we plan on attacking next – street homelessness.

Let’s stop for a moment. Consider this “Intermission.” Cheryl Hill, where are you? Isabel McDevitt, where are you? Crystal Yates Gale? Dr. Cacchione, can you all come join me right now?

2026 IS HERE

For most of this year, we’ve been preparing for Philadelphia’s next big moment – hosting the Nation and the world and celebrating America’s 250^th Birthday – our Semisquincentennial.

We’re investing over $120 Million, in our Infrastructure to make sure Philadelphia is ready to greet millions of visitors, and in events and programs that WILL make sure EVERY neighborhood is included in this Moment in Philadelphia’s and our Country’s history.

ALL of our celebrations will be happening in EVERY neighborhood in our City!

The FIFA World Cup is coming here! The MLB All-Star Game! So many other exciting celebrations, large and small!

In fact, we cannot think of a more appropriate way to ring in 2026 than what we’re going to do on the Ben Franklin Parkway on New Year’s Eve … You may have heard about it already!

The City has never done this before on New Years Eve!

LL COOL J is coming to Philly on December 31^st!

Along with DJ Jazzy Jeff and a host of other performers!

Adam Blackstone! Dorothy!

You won’t want to miss this! And it’s all FREE! Join us on New Year’s Eve on the Parkway with LL COOL J!

What better way to ring in 2026 and the incredible year that’s going to happen right here in the Birthplace of our Democracy!

Jazelle Jones, our City Representative! Michael Newmuis, our 2026 Director! Chief Deputy Mayor Vanessa Garrett Harley  –  LET’s RING IT ON!

Our Market East corridor is America’s FIRST commercial corridor, and it’s gone through many challenges and changes over time.

My administration is taking on the challenge of spearheading the Market East Revival … from City Hall to the Delaware River!

We’ve formed a new public-private Market East Corridor Advisory Group that will help shape a new vision for the corridor, and I’m very proud to publicly thank Jerry Sweeney of Brandywine Realty Trust for agreeing to Chair this effort for our administration – along with 60 other external stakeholders along the Market East Corridor!

A strong, vibrant, inclusive Market East is critical to Philadelphia’s economic and cultural success!

This will NOT be a Plan that gathers dust on a shelf! We’ve had 50+ plans in 50 years! No more! I promise you that!

There are so many other important topics and challenges that we’re taking on in the Parker administration, and I cannot dive into all of them with you today … as much as I’d like to!

But I can urge you to scan the QR code for the full State of the City Report or pick up a copy on your way out today, and read it all the way through!

Read about the city’s inaugural Cultural Master Plan that’s underway, thanks to Chief Cultural Officer Val Gay. You’ll learn about 14 Arts and Culture Town Halls held in city neighborhoods. And you’ll read about a new statue commissioned to honor Philly’s own Dr. Sadie T. Alexander, the first Black person to earn a Ph.D. in economics and first Black woman to practice law in Pennsylvania. AND her degrees came from the University of Pennsylvania!

Our Department of Aviation has invested more than $500 million in capital projects at PHL International Airport to prepare for all the national and international visitors coming to Philadelphia in 2026. We expect a Million passengers to come through our Airport and we’ll be ready! Including with Cleaner Bathrooms folks! Come check out Terminals B and C!

I am grateful to Atif Saeed, our Airport CEO, for everything he does for our City every day!

Learn about our efforts to complete 13 more projects year that invest and rebuild public spaces across Philadelphia, recreation centers, playgrounds, swimming pools – where our residents can thrive. Our Capital Program Office does magnificent work. Aparna Palantino, I see you!

I said when I was elected Mayor in 2023 that I wanted a city government that people could “see, touch and feel.” PhillyStat 360 is the personification of that promise. Under the amazing leadership of Kristin Bray, who also serves as Chief Legal Counsel to the Mayor, PhillyStat 360 is an easy-to-use online tool to track and learn about what a wide array of city departments are doing for our citizens – and how to apply to receive services as well. Come check out how we’re doing at filling potholes, and planting trees, and servicing residents and business owners’ L & I permitting needs! You can see what your government is doing and track our progress!

On the Legislative Affairs team, under the leadership of Rachel Meadows, the Policy and Fiscal Analysis Unit has officially published 76 Fiscal Notes as of this week. “What are Fiscal Notes?,” you might ask. Fiscal Notes are unbiased and objective analyses regarding the fiscal impact that legislation has on the City of Philadelphia’s revenues and expenditures. My administration officially launched the Fiscal Notes Website on April 28, 2025, as part of my commitment to create an open and accessible government for all. Where you can see what bills City Council passes, which bills I sign into law – and what they cost to our taxpayers!

Last year at our First State of the City event, I thanked our entire Federal Congressional Delegation for their collaboration and strong support in getting $1 Billion in Federal funds dedicated to Philadelphia.

That is the power of Intergovernmental Collaboration, and I said then and I say now – it’s a hallmark of how the Parker administration does business.

I want to thank U.S. Senator Dave McCormick, PA’s newest Senator, along with U.S. Senator John Fetterman, and Congress Members Dwight Evans, Brendan Boyle and Mary Gay Scanlon for all their work to support our City.

I want to thank our Governor, Josh Shapiro, for everything he does to help and serve our Commonwealth’s largest City, Philadelphia. THANK YOU GOVERNOR SHAPIRO!

And I want to thank all the leaders in our General Assembly for everything they do to serve Philadelphia. Thank you Speaker McClinton, Majority Leader Bradford, Appropriations Chairman Harris, Senate Appropriations Chairman Hughes, and Senator Picozzi as well, along with every member of our Philadelphia delegation as well. THANK YOU!

And I will repeat another central message as your Mayor: the People of Philadelphia elected me to do a job, and I will remain laser-focused on doing it – working every day to make Philadelphia the safest, cleanest and greenest city in the country, with access to economic opportunity for all.

I will not allow pride or ego or emotion to get in the way of my job to serve you – the People of Philadelphia, and to get things done to improve your lives in our neighborhoods. That’s my mission as your Mayor, and I’ll stay focused on it every day.

Remember the words of James Baldwin: “I can’t believe what you say, because I see what you do.”

As Mayor, I want people to watch what we do. And I want People to be able to See, Touch and Feel the results! I am on a mission to deliver efficient and responsive government to YOU.

As I always say, ‘I do not promise perfection’. But I DO promise that we will work hard every day for the People of our great City, using the resources that we have, to deliver a government our residents can be proud of.

We have so many more significant things to accomplish together for the People of Philadelphia. Stay on this Journey with us as we enter our Third Year.

It’s only Year 2, folks! We’re just getting started! It’s the Midterm!

May God bless each of you, your family and friends.

Put your Ones in the Air with me!

One Philly! A United City!