For Immediate Release

June 24, 2024

Contact

Natalie Adams (Casey): 202-228-3789

Charlie Hills (Fetterman): 202-228-6099

Ben Turner (Evans): 202-225-4001

Casey, Fetterman, Evans Announce $21 Million for Philadelphia Housing Authority’s Westpark Redevelopment

Grant to connect Westpark Redevelopment to park, SEPTA station

Funding comes from RAISE grants, thanks to the infrastructure law

Members have secured highly competitive RAISE grants for Philadelphia for four consecutive years—each year since infrastructure law passed

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and John Fetterman (D-PA) and U.S. Representative Dwight Evans (D-PA-3) announced $21,395,555 from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA). The grant will support the creation of a new of street grid and pedestrian infrastructure to facilitate the redevelopment of the Westpark Apartments in West Philly. The funding comes from a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability & Equity (RAISE) Grant, funded by the Infrastructure Investment Jobs Act (IIJA).

“From visiting housing developments across Philadelphia, I’ve seen firsthand the transformational work PHA does to not only provide safe, affordable housing, but build vibrant communities,” said Senator Casey. “I fought for this funding to better connect Westpark residents with resources and opportunities in their community and beyond. I’ll keep working to deliver funding to make Philadelphia more livable for all who call the city home.”

“Any day that we can announce more federal dollars heading to Pennsylvania is a good day,” said Senator Fetterman. “This RAISE grant will support the infrastructure needed to create the new Westpark housing development and connect the campus to transit and green space. This is a smart, thoughtful project that will greatly improve the lives of the people who will live at the redeveloped Westpark Apartments. It exemplifies that values of PHA and is a stellar example of the critical work they do. I’m proud to have fought alongside Senator Casey and Congressman Evans for this funding.”

 “This is great news for West Philadelphia and another way that the Biden Infrastructure and Jobs Act I voted for continues to deliver for Philadelphia and the region. I thank Senators Casey and Fetterman for their continued partnership as we work together to deliver for our shared constituents,” said Congressman Evans.

 “We at PHA are extremely grateful to Senator Casey, Senator Fetterman, Congressman Evans, and all our federal partners for this exciting news,” said PHA President and CEO Kelvin A. Jeremiah. “The grant marks a tremendous milestone in the redevelopment of Westpark. It will ensure that once the project is complete, residents will have ready access to SEPTA and to public parkland. Senator Casey, who advocated for this grant, proves once again that he is a true champion for expanding housing opportunities in Philadelphia and across the state. And I’m confident that Westpark will serve as a national model for a 21st century public housing and affordable housing development.”

This project will construct an extension of the existing street grid in West Philadelphia in order to create new space for housing and connect the Westpark Apartments campus to SEPTA’s 46^th Street station. It will support a new network of shared streets, sidewalks, and bike infrastructure that will create the roads necessary to integrate new, forthcoming housing more seamlessly into the neighborhood.

2024 marks the fourth consecutive year the Members of Congress have secured highly competitive RAISE grants for infrastructure projects in Philadelphia. Last year, SEPTA received $25 million to modernize trolleys and the City received the same amount for the North Philadelphia School Zone Traffic Safety Project. In 2022, the “Great Streets PHL” project was awarded $25 million to make safety improvements to high-crash corridors in historically disadvantaged communities and areas of persistent poverty. In 2021, shortly following passage of IIJA, SEPTA won $15 million to renovate the 19th and 37th Street Trolley Subway Stations and make them accessible for people with disabilities. To see more federal investments Senator Casey has delivered to Philadelphia and the Commonwealth, click here.

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PHA is the only Housing Authority in the country to receive three CNI Implementation Grants.

Contact: Nichole Tillman, [email protected]; 215-888-2869                               

Philadelphia, PA. (June 20, 2024) ‑ The Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) proudly hosted U.S. Senator Bob Casey recently as he toured PHA’s Sharswood Blumberg Development, one of the sites that has received coveted Choice Neighborhoods Implementation (CNI) Grants due to the Senator’s support.

Recently, Senator Casey visited Sharswood, a historically disadvantaged community where PHA-led developments, fueled by a $30 million CNI grant, have resulted in new capital investments, job-creating businesses, and community amenities such as a bank, a restored park and a grocery. The Senator has long championed CNI Grants as an important means to transform neighborhoods in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania.

“It was an honor to show Senator Casey first-hand the results of his longstanding support for PHA and for CNI funding,” said Kelvin Jeremiah, the President & CEO of the Philadelphia Housing Authority. “His visit to Philadelphia shows the deep roots of his commitment to this city, and to ensuring that all residents have safe and affordable housing. These projects are truly a lifeline to many Philadelphians in need, and I’m hopeful that as our work continues, Senator Casey’s vital support will continue as well.”

“Housing is more than just a roof over your head; it’s the place where safety, well-being, and community start,” Senator Casey said. “As the foundation of a neighborhood, housing determines whether businesses can thrive, the potential of future economic development, and the sense of community that residents feel. I am grateful to Kelvin Jeremiah and the Philadelphia Housing Authority team for their commitment to providing quality housing, revitalizing neighborhoods, and working to build strong communities.”

Thanks to the Senator’s support, PHA is the nation’s first housing authority to receive grants to revive three neglected and forgotten neighborhoods, and the only one to bring more than $110 million in CNI funding back to its city. In November 2013, PHA, working with 23 partners, received a planning grant of $500,000. This supported the development of a successful transformation plan for both the Blumberg site as well as the surrounding Blumberg/Sharswood neighborhood. Then in 2020, the effort received a far more substantial $30 million CNI grant to implement the transformation plan. It is that ongoing work which Senator Casey toured.

The other two projects to receive CNI funding are the North Central Philadelphia Transformation Plan ($30 million awarded in 2014) and Bartram Village in Southwest Philadelphia ($50 million awarded in 2023). No other U.S. city has received three such major grants. PHA also received a Choice Neighborhoods planning grant of $500,000 to reimagine Yorktown, and the Harrison low-rise buildings.

Choice Neighborhoods Implementation grants are administered by the U.S. Housing of Urban Development (HUD) and the support of federal elected officials such as Sen. Casey is essential. The program has a three-pronged “Housing, People, and Neighborhood” approach that includes the redevelopment of distressed properties and supportive services related to the residents’ health, education, and income while investing in economic development and neighborhood improvement projects. A two-year Planning Grant will allow the new awardees to create and build support for a comprehensive “Transformation Plan” that addresses the program’s Housing, People, and Neighborhood goals.

PHA President Jeremiah continued: “With the support of our federal partners, PHA can transform another strategically located neighborhood into a resource-rich area community that provides new housing, along with crucial supportive services like career training and enrichment programs that support mobility. I have always said: we cannot do this important work alone. It requires coordinated strategy and an alignment of resources on the federal, state, and local levels to maximize affordable housing production while preserving the existing affordable housing stock.”

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The Philadelphia Housing Authority

The Philadelphia Housing Authority is the nation’s 4th largest housing authority, serving nearly 80,000 residents The Philadelphia Housing Authority’s mission is to open doors to affordable housing, economic opportunity, and safe sustainable communities to benefit Philadelphia residents with low incomes. To learn more visit www.pha.phila.gov

MEDIA ADVISORY – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EVENT DATE: Thursday, June 20, 2024

Contacts:  Nichole Tillman, [email protected]; 215-888-2869

Summer Food and Fun

Jump into Summer Features a New Hockey Clinic and Extravaganza, a Basketball Clinic, Jump Rope, Job Hunting Tools, and Health & Safety Resources for PHA Youth

WHAT: The Philadelphia Flyers will join PHA’s lineup for Jump into Summer this year bringing hockey-themed inflatables and working with the Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education team to conduct a street hockey clinic. The Jump Into Summer event kicks off PHA’s interactive summer events for youth engaging them in leadership- and career-building exercises, physical activities, opportunities to read, write and find their voices, and healthy habits.  The Third Annual Jump into Summer Event also will feature a basketball clinic; jump-rope lessons; and a resource fair connecting adults and youth to employment, summer camps, PHA’s summer food program, trauma supports and services, safety resources, and more. A DJ will be on hand to spin the tunes.

WHEN: Best event visuals: 12:30 to 2 PM Thursday, June 20, 2024

(Scheduled times for the basketball and hockey clinics: 12:30 PM to 1:15 PM)

WHERE:  Vaux Community Building, 24^th and Master Streets. The basketball and hockey clinics will be held indoors while other activities will be outside weather permitting.

HIGHLIGHTS: This year, the Philadelphia Flyers and Ed Snider Youth Hockey and Education join the Jump into Summer lineup, providing brand new activities to engage PHA’s youth. Vendors at the resource fair also will offer opportunities to keep young minds and bodies fit while school is out.

Contacts:      

For PHA: Linda Wallace

[email protected]

Cell: 713-302-9967

WHAT: Philly’s weeklong Juneteenth Celebration, PHA residents and Housing Choice Voucher tenants who own their own businesses will have a chance to sell their wares and grow their own businesses at an outdoor market. In addition to these diverse vendors, festivities include a Double-Dutch competition, a free intro to Mosaic workshop, a free CPR class, music and fun! Of all the racial groups surveyed in a recent report by Babson College, Black Americans had the highest rate of entrepreneurial activity (35%), followed by Hispanic people (27%). Despite this strong interest, both groups remain less likely to run established businesses than white entrepreneurs. To address this issue, PHA began offering regular entrepreneurship workshops and a six-month fellowship as a way to support these home-based micro-businesses. Since then, more than 50 business owners have completed the comprehensive Fellowship program covering the full range of business fundamentals. PHA Fellows receive: up to a $3,000 small business grant; up to $2,000 worth of books, licenses and certification for their business, and an opportunity to receive free office space and services in Resident Advisory Board’s resident Incubator.

WHEN: The best media opportunities will be available from noon to 11:30 to 1:30 PM Monday, June 17, 2024.

WHERE: Lucien E. Blackwell Community Center (761 N 47th St, Philadelphia, PA 19139).

DETAILS: More than 300 people are expected to attend. There will music, food, prizes and giveaways including laptops and gift cards. PHA entrepreneurs will be selling a variety of items including food, desserts, clothing, crafts, and candles.  Come interview these remarkable entrepreneurs who are getting increased recognition on social media, and in the news media.

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Media Contact:

Nichole Tillman: 215-888-2869; [email protected]

What: The Philadelphia Housing Authority will host a dynamic celebration honoring fathers and their invaluable role in our communities. Father’s Hoop Day promises an exhilarating day filled with basketball festivities, delicious food, and memorable moments. This event, hosted by Buck Wild, is a tribute to the strength, dedication, and love of fathers everywhere.

Visuals: Capture heartwarming moments between fathers and sons participating in various activities.

Where: Lucien E. Blackwell Community Center

761 North 47th Street

Philadelphia, PA. 19139

When Friday, June 14, 2024

5pm to 6:30pm  Media Opportunities Are Available