Reports & Research
Housing Justice Campaign: Defending Our Right to Stay (2024)
In a report released on Thursday, February 29, 2024, the Philadelphia Coalition for Affordable Communities details glaring injustices around housing resources in Philadelphia.
The report highlights disparities in what the City deems affordable and what is actually affordable to residents.
The release of this report marked the launch of the Coalition’s Housing Justice Campaign which urged City Council to pass legislation committing 50% of all housing dollars to households who need it most, households earning $28,600 per year or less.
Key Points from Reports
_____
Housing cost burden is on the rise
Housing cost burden means that more than 30% of a household’s income goes to cover housing expenses. In 2022, 244,000 households were housing cost-burdened (37% of all citywide households). 20% of all households spend more than 50% of their income on housing.
_____
Who is most affected
One in three Philadelphia Households earns under $30,000 per year. They are disproportionately cost-burdened and affected by the rise in housing costs.
______
The City's housing resources are not reaching residents who need them most
Although half of Philly’s households earn less than $57,000 per year, almost all of the city’s limited resources for “affordable” housing are open to households that earn more than $57,000 per year.
_____
What is gentrification?
The transformation of low-income and working class neighborhoods, driving up housing and other real estate prices and causing the displacement of long-term residents, businesses, and institutions.
_____
What's the cost of gentrification to Philadelphians?
Rising housing costs in gentrifying neighborhoods exact real costs in the lives of Philadelphia families.
Long-term residents are forced to move away from jobs and social networks. Neighborhood-serving businesses are forced to close as commercial rents increase, leaving many residents without access to basic services and local living-wage jobs. Community gardens and farms that have been sources of affordable nutrition and places where people gather are up-rooted.
_____
Where is the cost of housing out of control?
-
West Philadelphia's median sale price increased 98%, at nearly twice the citywide rate
-
South Philadelphia's median sale price increased 184%, more than three times the citywide rate
-
North Philadelphia's median sale price increased 200%, nearly four times the citywide rate
In these neighborhoods, rising housing costs coupled with stagnant or declining household incomes are straining low-income families’ ability to stay in their homes.
_____
Where is gentrification happening the most?
In North, South, and West Philadelphia:
-
50% of renter households are "housing cost-burdened," paying more than they can afford for their rent.
-
Over 30% of homeowners are also spending too much of their income on housing.
-
The African American population has dropped 22-29% since 2000.
Displacement due to rising housing costs is threatening the diversity of our neighborhoods.
