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Housing advocates will commemorate "Day of Atonement" for the political sins of homelessness and lack of affordable housing in Philadelphia

On Wednesday, September 22nd at 12:00 Noon in Dillworth Plaza (west side of City Hall) members of the Philadelphia Affordable Housing Coalition will draw attention to the political "sins" of homelessness and lack of decent , affordable, accessible housing afflicted upon tens of thousands of Philadelphians who are living on incomes below $20,000.

Members of the Coalition -- which has more than 15 organizational members and represents 35,000 people-- will dramatize stories of the evictions, foreclosures, homelessness, dilapidation, eminent domain abuse and long waiting lists that together comprise a housing crisis in our City. This crisis was documented by the University of Penn's Cartographic Modeling Lab in their groundbreaking Closing the Gap study released in 2003. According to their research:

• 15,000 people enter the City's homeless shelter system each year
• 31,000 Philadelphia households live in overcrowded conditions
• 1 in 10 Philadelphians have serious repair problems in their homes
• 65,000 disabled persons are in need of wheelchair accessible housing
• More than 1 in 5 Philadelphians live on less than $20,000 a year and can't afford their housing costs
• 57,000 additional, affordable rental units are needed to close the affordability gap in Philadelphia

But instead of creating a comprehensive plan to address this crisis, City Council, The Administration and the Housing Authority have been moving in the wrong direction:

• Only 5% of the City's 2005 housing budget (OHCD) will be spent on creating new, affordable rental housing for low-income families.
• PHA has eliminated half of its housing units since 1993 and has put a 7-year limit on existing Section 8 vouchers and refused to release all the vouchers they have.
• The City will spend $110 Million this year to condemn and demolish houses under NTI.

Coalition members will deliver a 10-point list of action steps that Council, the Mayor and PHA must take this year to begin to address this crisis.

"According to the tradition, the Day of Atonement is the last appeal, the last chance to change the judgment, to demonstrate our repentance and make amends. This week, we call on our political leaders to hear the cries of the people and take action," says Rosemary Cubas, of the Community Leadership Institute and Coalition leader.

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PAHC Members and allies include:
Liberty Resources, Kensington Welfare Rights Union, Tenants Action Group, Disabled in Action,
Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Women's Community Revitalization Project, Lutheran Settlement House,
United Communities of Southeast Philadelphia, Asian Americans United, Raise of Hope, Project Rainbow,
New Jerusalem, Prevention Point, Disabilities Law Project, Community Leadership Institute, Energy Coordinating Agency