Housing for Equity: An Action Plan for Philadelphia

Housing for Equity is Philadelphia’s first-ever housing plan. It sets production and preservation targets for the next 10 years and outlines a set of actions that the City will take in concert with partners in the non-profit, for-profit, and philanthropic sectors to achieve those targets. Several of the plan’s recommendations have already moved into implementation. As members of the consultant team (alongside Philadelphia LISC) tasked with preparing the plan, Vincent Reina and Claudia Aiken:

1. Analyzed current housing and market conditions and projected future housing demand. They worked with the core team to use this analysis to develop 10-year targets for housing production and preservation that would substantially address current and future need but fall within the realm of funding and implementation feasibility. Reina and Aiken produced a memorandum that lays out the results of their analysis and the methodology for arriving at the targets, which is included in the Plan’s companion report, Foundation for the Future.
2. Conducted a review of the relevant goals and strategies included in eight previous plans, and researched national best practices for: preserving naturally occurring affordable housing; collateralizing public land to finance housing programs; recapturing the value cities create by upzoning; protecting renters against eviction; and promoting many other potential strategies.
3. Worked closely with the plan’s municipal leaders. Throughout the HAP process, Reina and Aiken participated in biweekly strategy meetings with a core team that was headed by Anne Fadullon, Director of Planning and Development for the City of Philadelphia. In addition, they presented our research and progress to a local Housing Advisory Board that was responsible for approving the final plan.
4. Supported stakeholder groups in developing plan recommendations. PennPraxis' research team engaged in several rounds of meetings with the seven taskforces and working groups exploring specific topics within housing. They also organized a best practice round table that brought national experts on housing and homelessness to Philadelphia to discuss their first-hand experience implementing the programs Philadelphia was considering. Ultimately, Reina and Aiken worked with LISC Philadelphia to synthesize and prioritize recommendations emerging from the strategy meetings, task-force meetings, Advisory Board Meetings, and our extensive projections and research.
5. Drafted the Philadelphia Housing Action Plan. The PennPraxis team's final task was to produce drafts of the plan text, a timeline for when each recommendation should be implemented to meet the goals established, and an implementation scorecard so that Philadelphia and the public can track the Plan’s progress.

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LISC Philadelphia