Philadelphia\u2019s Mayor-Council relationship, and Cherelle Parker\u2019s ambitious housing plan, hit an icy patch in December, setting the stage for housing funds to once again be front-and-center heading into 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A day after moving an amendment to the mayor\u2019s major housing initiative out of committee, City Council approved the update by a 16-1 vote, altering the eligibility thresholds for two housing programs set to be funded by bond proceeds. Council approved the change as a resolution rather than an ordinance, meaning Parker cannot veto the measure. Councilmember Curtis Jones was the lone \u201cno\u201d vote.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Council President Kenyatta Johnson said there is no \u201cpersonal animosity\u201d with the administration.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re just working to make sure that we get this process right. We continue to do our due diligence, and at the end of the day, that’d be a win-win for the public as well,\u201d Johnson told reporters Thursday. \u201cWe want to get shovels in the ground. We want to get these programs up and running for the population that’s most in need here in the City of Philadelphia.\u201d<\/p>\n
In June, Council approved the city budget with an $800 million bond<\/a> for Parker\u2019s Housing Opportunities Made Easy initiative, a $2 billion plan focused on creating and preserving 30,000 units of housing, backed by a massive bond. The plan was set to fund 13,500 new units and 16,500 preserved units, with the caveat that Council must approve annual budget resolutions to determine how the bond proceeds will be spent.\u00a0<\/p>\n But progressives in City Council pushed back on the initiative\u2019s income eligibility, arguing the funds should be directed more toward low-income individuals.\u00a0<\/p>\n On Wednesday, City Council’s Committee of the Whole voted out on a new bond issuance to start the H.O.M.E. initiative, which includes language that will allocate most of the home repair funds for those making 60% of area median income<\/a> \u2014 $50,180 for a single person, $71,640 for a household of four, according to current city data.\u00a0<\/p>\n The change would impact both the Basic Systems Repair Program home improvement initiative and the Adaptive Modification Program, which seeks to fund projects that improve mobility for disabled renters and homeowners. Under the plan, 90% of funding for the repair program will go toward those earning up to 60% of the AMI.\u00a0<\/p>\n The move also adds funding for the Turn the Key program, which uses public lots to build homes for first-time homebuyers.\u00a0<\/p>\n City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, a strong proponent of the changes, said the move effectively doubles the number of households eligible for the house repair programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cUnder Council President Kenyatta Johnson’s leadership, we made targeted, high-impact investments that will strengthen housing stability and economic mobility for every Philadelphian,\u201d Gauthier said Wednesday. \u201cMost importantly, seniors, public school teachers, sanitation workers, and other working and low-income families will have the help they need to stay in their homes and off the street.”<\/p>\n Gauthier said Thursday that Council\u2019s efforts are both fiscally and morally responsible.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe first-year budget for H.O.M.E. is $277 million. It was imperative that City Council not simply rush through a proposal that didn’t serve the most vulnerable people in the city,\u201d Gauthier told reporters. \u201cIt was imperative that city council Be thoughtful, be deliberate, pick the proposal apart and ultimately strengthen it, which we did.\u201d<\/p>\n Johnson, a longtime ally of Parker\u2019s, also refused to allow a vote on an amendment brought by the Parker administration Wednesday, instead moving forward with Council\u2019s updated version of the housing proposal.\u00a0<\/p>\n Johnson asserted Thursday that Parker would win re-election in 2028, so she\u2019ll have a second term to implement the major housing initiative.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m pretty confident that our mayor will be reelected,\u201d Johnson said Thursday. \u201cThat’s my personal opinion, and will have my support to get reelected, and so she’ll have a six-year run to actually get this initiative, not only impactfully done, but also it’s enough time for us to really have a significant impact.\u201d<\/p>\n Affordable housing advocates praised the move, stating that the city\u2019s most vulnerable residents should be the focus of the affordable housing push. A group of 11 organizations, including Make the Road PA, Philly DSA, Power Interfaith and Reclaim Philadelphia, released a statement commending Council for fighting for an equitable housing plan.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe need a housing plan that benefits everyday Philadelphians, from sanitation workers and nurses to elders and disabled individuals on fixed incomes and those who have been forced to live on the streets,\u201d the statement reads. \u201cFor too long, developers and corporate landlords have profited from Philadelphia\u2019s housing crisis, causing gentrification, displacement, institutionalization, and homelessness. A true solution to our housing crisis starts by investing most where the pain has been greatest, with the low-income home owners and renters who have been waiting. This amendment is an important step in that direction.\u201d<\/p>\n Parker released a statement after the vote on Wednesday, vowing to continue fighting for rowhomes and their owners. She said that 70% of the city’s housing stock consists of rowhomes, 75% of which are at least 50 years old.<\/p>\n \u201cThe whole debate over income eligibility limits for BSRP and Adaptive Modifications is to make sure that we leave no working Philadelphian and no qualifying Philly rowhome owner excluded from these vital programs,” Parker said in a statement. \u201cThat includes city employees, too. We have a duty and a responsibility to them. If we don\u2019t save Philly rowhomes, we\u2019re going to become a city of used-to-be neighborhoods, blocks that used to be nice but now are showing signs of age and decline. I will not allow that to happen \u2013 not on my watch as mayor of Philadelphia.\u201d<\/p>\n On Thursday, Council trudged on with its new eligibility requirements, approving the updated bond and bucking Parker\u2019s wishes during its last session day of the year.\u00a0<\/p>\n The legislative back-and-forth also comes as Parker attempted a last-ditch attempt to persuade residents to support her original plan, not Council\u2019s version. On Sunday, Parker toured several churches in the city to rally support for her vision for how the bonds should be spent, prompting Councilmembers to say her administration was spreading \u201cmisinformation.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n The contentious debate took over Wednesday\u2019s committee hearing, with Tiffany Thurman, Parker\u2019s chief of staff, presenting the mayor\u2019s amendment \u2013 the same amendment Johnson declined to bring up for a vote.\u00a0<\/p>\n City Council is set to return to legislative session on Jan. 22, 2026, where the housing discussion is supposed to continue. Whether or not mending relationships will be a New Year\u2019s Resolution remains to be seen.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Philadelphia\u2019s Mayor-Council relationship, and Cherelle Parker\u2019s ambitious housing plan, hit an icy patch in December, setting the stage…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":441230,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5132],"tags":[5229,3232,20497,7065,1448,2830,1311,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-441229","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-budget","10":"tag-cherelle-parker","11":"tag-housing","12":"tag-pa","13":"tag-pennsylvania","14":"tag-philadelphia","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-united-states-of-america","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","19":"tag-us","20":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115703745719546920","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=441229"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441229\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/441230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=441229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=441229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=441229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}