NLIHC joined a sign-on letter with PolicyLink, the National Housing Law Project, and the National Homelessness Law Center to Philadelphia Mayor James Kenney, protesting against the displacement of University City Townhomes residents and advocating for the preservation of the site and other subsidized housing at risk of loss in Philadelphia. Read the letter here.
University City Townhomes, or UC-Townhomes, is a federally subsidized rental property of 70 units built in 1983 that offers affordable rental homes to residents in Philadelphia’s University City neighborhood. In July 2021, IBID Associates, the property’s owner, announced it would not renew its affordable housing contract with HUD and intended to sell the property for conversion into a research and development center or luxury housing complex. Such a move would displace nearly 70 families, most of whom are Black and Hispanic families who have lived in UC-Townhomes for years. HUD has continued to provide rental assistance, and IBID originally gave residents one year to find new housing. In West Philadelphia’s tight rental housing market, residents face difficulties finding affordable and subsidized housing options, highlighting the broader problem of subsidized housing loss in Philadelphia. Now, the City of Philadelphia, IBID, and UC Townhomes residents are engaged in a legal battle to prevent the demolition of the site and protect residents from displacement. Members of the local community have joined together to save the property and bring attention to Philadelphia’s diminishing affordable housing stock.
The sign-on letter urges Mayor Kenney to demand that IBID give residents enough time to find alternative housing, given the length of time needed for the voucher housing search and leasing process. The letter demands that the City of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA), and HUD ensure families are not displaced or made homeless. “We strongly urge the City and Owner to provide residents enough time to find a resolution for all parties involved,” states the letter, “and for HUD to take what actions are necessary to protect the rights of tenants with enhanced vouchers.”
Additionally, the letter calls for the preservation of UC-Townhomes and other existing affordable rental housing. Under executive direction from the Biden administration, HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge reinstated the Obama administration’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule, effective July 31, 2021, to “overcome patterns of segregation, improve housing choice and unequal access to housing opportunities, and foster inclusive communities.” In Philadelphia’s “Assessment for Fair Housing for 2022,” the city stated as one of its goals the preservation of existing affordable rental housing, especially in appreciating markets. In compliance with HUD’s AFFH rule and the city’s own Fair Housing priorities, the city, PHA, and HUD must explore all available options to preserve the property as affordable housing.
NLIHC is deeply committed to the preservation of project-based housing. Preservation is essential for any approach to protecting the lowest-income renters and expanding the supply of affordable housing available to them. Preservation prevents displacement and housing instability for current tenants, slows the loss of difficult-to-replace housing in desirable neighborhoods, mitigates further disinvestment from distressed communities, presents an opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy retrofitting, and prevents the further decline of the already limited federally subsidized housing stock.
Read the letter here.
Learn more about the preservation of affordable housing on page 6-75 of NLIHC’s 2022 Advocate’s Guide.