BRADY: New Programs for Homelessness

Homelessness should not be blithely accepted in the City which gave birth to this nation. Philadelphia desperately needs a concerted effort to combat and conquer the ongoing problem of homelessness in the City. Combating the issue of homelessness will be accomplished through the adoption of a coordinated and focused housing policy.

At present, a number of City agencies and non profit groups are responsible for different components of housing development. As resources for affordable housing diminish, the Mayor must take ownership of the development process to ensure that new transitional housing facilities are developed. With the potential to provide not only shelter, but badly needed social services, transitional housing not only gets people off of the street, but rebuilds lives.

As Mayor, I will advance three key issues, with regard to housing, that will impact the development of transitional facilities. First, when I am elected Mayor, I will appoint a Deputy Mayor of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation (DMHNP). The DMHNP will serve as the chief policy decision maker for housing, community development, and neighborhood economic development through the Office of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation. The DMHNP will also coordinate activities of the Redevelopment Authority (RDA), the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA), and the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation (PHDC). In doing so, the City agencies and non-profit entities will become interlocked with one another, allowing the City to efficiently deploy the diminishing federal resources dedicated to affordable housing.

Secondly, the DMHNP will be able to coordinate the substantial resources of the PHA in a manner that is consistent with an overall housing policy plan for the City of Philadelphia. Instead of being viewed as a stand alone agency, the PHA would be brought into the fold as part of a coordinated effort to address housing issues, including homelessness, within the City. Engagement of PHA would also include providing operating subsidies to organizations who wish to establish transitional housing facilities.

Thirdly, I will advocate legislation which would redirect unclaimed Sheriff’s Sale proceeds to our Housing Trust Fund. Since 2000, the federal funds which support affordable housing development have been under assault. Yearly reductions have created an affordable housing crisis which must be addressed at the state and local level. Funds from our Housing Trust Fund would be used to supplement those provided by the federal government, and restore affordable housing funds to a reasonable level. As part of this effort, funds from the Housing Trust fund would be used to finance new transitional housing facilities within the City of Philadelphia.

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