What is the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative? Will affordable housing be part of the city's plan?

What the city's anti-blight plan promises to do in the next five years:

* Demolish 14,000 housing units

* Build 6,000 new units of housing where private developers set the price

* Save 4,500 homes by boarding them up, repairing or rehabbing them

* Construct 2,000 new homes for sale

* Build 3,500 rental units affordable to low-income Philadelphians and those who are elderly or have special needs

* Clean and maintain 31,000 vacant lots, some of which will be fenced and greened

 

FACT: The total budget for this plan is $1.6 billion over 5 years. The new cost to taxpayers will be $20 million a year.

Questions you should ask about the city's anti-blight plan:

* Will my family be displaced from our home?

* Which houses will be demolished?

* Do I have a say in what happens in my neighborhood?

* Will there be public hearings in my neighborhood about the city's plan?

* Which houses will get boarded up and repaired?

* Will my mother's property taxes go up?

* Can my daughter get a job keeping the lots cleaned?

* Will my family be able to stay in our neighborhood?

* Will there be new housing created that I can afford?

* Can I get the abandoned lot that I have been taking care of for years?

* How can I know that the promises made will be kept?

 

PHILADELPHIA AFFORDABLE HOUSING COALITION

The Philadelphia Affordable Housing Coalition (PAHC) believes that the city's anti-blight plan must:

- Treat all residents fairly and respectfully regardless of income

- Be centered on the principles of citizen participation and public accountability

- Provide relief from Philadelphia's affordable housing crisis

- Guarantee people the right to stay in their communities

- Utilize public resources equitably

PAHC is a collaborative of organizations committed to winning more resources for housing that is:

FAIR

DECENT

ACCESSIBLE

AFFORDABLE to individuals and families with incomes of $18,000 or less per year

 

How you can get involved!

Call you City Council representative to ask them to hold hearings in your district this fall

Send a postcard to your City Council Representative telling them that you want to be able to voice your opinion at a hearing in your community

Meet with your City Council member and get answers to your questions about NTI

Testify at City Council hearings both in your district and at City Hall

 

MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL

2nd District - Anna Verna - Council President - (215) 686-3412 ext 13

3rd District - Janine Blackwell - (215) 686-3418 ext 19

5th District - Darrell Clarke - (215) 686-3442 ext 43

7th District - Richard Marino - (215) 686-3448 ext 49

8th District - Donna Reed Miller - (215) 686-3424 ext 25

9th District - Marian Tasco - (215) 686-3454 ext 55