Newsroom
Pennsylvania’s dangerous landlord-tenant law persists
Back in April, I wrote about the serious problem of landlord-tenant officers in Pennsylvania, who have extraordinary power with very little training. I detailed the March case of 35-year-old Angel Davis, shot in the head and nearly killed by a so-called...
Philly is offering loans for landlords to repair properties and maintain the city’s affordable housing
Philadelphia’s small landlords — those the city relies on to provide affordable housing for its residents — can apply for millions of dollars in state and city funds in a new loan program that aims to fix and preserve their aging rental homes. The city’s established...
PHDC Launches Rental Improvement Fund
PHILADELPHIA — August 23, 2023 — PHDC announces the Rental Improvement Fund (RIF). This program offers eligible landlords citywide forgivable and 0% interest loans to cover the cost of much-needed repairs and maintenance in exchange for rent stability. PHDC recruited...
Philly officials introduce Rental Improvement Fund for small landlords to repair properties
“When I first heard of the program, (my reaction) was disbelief. I’m going to get all these things fixed, at no cost?” Steve Hawkins said across the street from his property in West Philadelphia Wednesday morning. Hawkins, who purchased the home in 1999, was one of...
‘A win-win’: New repairs program seeks to stabilize Philly’s stock of affordable housing
A new citywide program is expected to help hundreds of small landlords in Philadelphia make needed repairs to their properties while keeping the units affordable to tenants amid rising rents. The Rental Improvement Fund offers two types of loans — 10-year forgivable...
Landlord-tenant office releases new eviction guidelines
Training and transparency are key elements of new eviction procedures released Friday by the Landlord and Tenant Office of the Philadelphia Municipal Court. The new guidelines will take effect starting this week, when the moratorium on evictions end. The eviction...
Building a Green, Equitable Economy: A Conversation with Steve Dubb, Rithika Ramamurthy, Johanna Bozuwa, and Daniel Aldana Cohen
Steve Dubb: Could you talk a little bit about the background of the current state of Green New Deal advocacy in the US, and how the Climate and Community Project emerged from this political moment? Johanna Bozuwa: The Green New Deal officially came onto the...
Pa.’s Whole-Home Repairs money is in limbo despite Shapiro’s budget signature
Money for a popular program to fund basic repairs and energy efficiency upgrades in homes across much of Pennsylvania is still not free to flow to counties, despite Gov. Josh Shapiro signing the budget last week. $50 million for the Whole-Home Repairs Program is among...
The Whole-Home Repairs program is remaking the housing landscape
The Thompsons' home repair wish list was growing longer by the year. The couple from Ridgway in Elk County, both of whom are disabled, had needed a new roof, front porch and more remediation for several years. “The deck of the porch was falling through to the point...
Philly’s landlord-tenant officer expected to resume evictions, despite shootings and a lawsuit
Philadelphia’s landlord-tenant officer may soon be back in business after putting a brief moratorium on evictions. Marisa Shuter, the court-appointed attorney who oversees the city’s unusual and controversial system of using private security contractors to perform...
Has the Socialist Moment Already Come and Gone?
Bernie Sanders arrived in Ann Arbor in late winter, his future to be decided in two days. Thousands of students thronged the University of Michigan campus, gripping their blue-and-white signs, one so overcome with emotion she battled back tears as Sanders spoke. Above...
Woman shot in the head during eviction sues Philly’s landlord-tenant officer, others
A woman who was shot in the head during an eviction earlier this year is taking the matter to court. Angel Davis, a former resident of Girard Court Apartments who suffered a traumatic brain injury when she was shot by a security contractor hired by the city's...
‘We Failed You’: Victim Of Landlord-Tenant Officer Shooting Files Lawsuit As Legislators Step Up Pressure
After three shootings in four months, the pressure continues to mount on Philadelphia Municipal Court to change how it handles evictions.
Landlord-tenant office faces lawsuit over shooting, reform push
Momentum appears to be building behind an effort to reform Philadelphia’s eviction system, as a woman who was shot in the head during a lockout earlier this year filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the landlord-tenant officer. Several state and local lawmakers stood next...
Philadelphia woman shot in head while being evicted takes her case to court
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A woman who was shot in the head by the person serving her an eviction notice is suing Philadelphia’s landlord-tenant officer and pushing the city to make some changes to how it manages evictions.
Philly woman shot in the head during eviction sues landlord-tenant officer
A Philadelphia tenant and city officials are calling on the state to get involved and take action against the landlord-tenant officer whose contractors have been involved in multiple shootings during evictions in the past four months. Angel Davis -- a 35-year-old...
Philly’s for-profit eviction system slammed in lawsuit after security contractors shot tenants
A Philadelphia woman who was shot in the head by a private security contractor hired to remove her from her home filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit Tuesday, challenging the city’s unusual for-profit eviction system. An attorney representing Angel Davis, a former tenant...
Marchers on Saturday gathered in Center City to demand housing for all and an end to fossil fuels
Close to 2,000 members of the Center for Popular Democracy as well as Philadelphia based affiliates CASA, Make the Road PA, OnePA and other allies gathered on Saturday to march on City Hall to call for a significant investment in nationwide green social housing that’d...
Last week’s shooting during an eviction in Philadelphia has a state senator renewing his call for change
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The city’s Landlord-Tenant Office has agreed to temporarily suspend evictions, following a shooting in Port Richmond last week. But a Pennsylvania senator wants to permanently bar private entities from handling evictions.
Google partners with Black Tech Founders in Philadelphia to expose 200 Students to opportunities in STEM
Speaker Joanna McClinton, Senator Nikil Saval, and PA Representative Donna Bullock joined Google to help teach kids how to stay safe and secure online at the Xtreme 5 Teen Tech Summit Google’s Online Safety Roadshow was presented to students at the 3rd Annual Xtreme5...