David Thomas, President and CEO of PHDC, Philadelphia’s full-service community development organization dedicated to its neighborhoods and the people in them.  We support them with Working with our public, private and nonprofit partners and the boards of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority and Philadelphia Land Bank – they offer housing options, repurposed vacant land, and community assets.          

Mr. Thomas discussed the many programs offered by PHDC including FreshStartPHL, which bridges the gap for those that may be able to afford their monthly rental costs but need extra financial support to move.  The program provides qualified residents the equivalent of three months of rent for eligible households and up to a $1,000 stipend for relocation-related costs, such as movers, furniture, power and water hooks ups, and more.

This pilot program joins other initiatives offered by the city including Turn the Key, which builds energy efficient homes on publicly owned land across Philadelphia allowing  first-time home owners to buy new affordable homes and build equity for their futures,  and Philly First Home that offers a homebuyer assistance grant of up to $10,000 (or 6% of the home’s purchase price, whichever is lower) to assist first-time homebuyers reduce their principal, cover down payment and loan closing costs.  

We discussed the city’s aging housing stock and programs aimed at repair such as  Restore, Repair, Renew that helps homeowners access low-interest loans to fund a range of home repairs that focus on health, safety, weatherization, accessibility, and quality of life. The goal of the program is to help Philadelphians improve their homes and strengthen their communities.

Because title is required for funds and Philadelphia is suffering from a large number of ‘tangled titles,’ they also offer programming to help residents clear their property’s title issues. Visit phila.gov/programs/ tangled-title-program for more details.

You can see all the eligibility requirements, and apply at phdcphila.org/FreshStartPHL

Mr Thomas recommends that anyone looking to buy or rent in Philadelphia start with their new online service, One Philly Front Door that allows you to discover programs and resource available to them in one stop.