What’s Working: USCM Housing Tour Reaches Philadelphia, Where Mayors See the Challenges and Solutions for One of America’s Biggest Crises

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L to R: Allentown (PA) Mayor Matt Tuerk, Columbus (OH) Mayor and USCM President Andrew Ginther, Philadelphia (PA) Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, Scranton (PA) Mayor Paige Cognetti, Oklahoma City (OK) and USCM Vice President David Holt, USCM CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran

America’s mayors continued their nationwide housing tour this week, which started on Tuesday in Phoenix and reached Philadelphia on Thursday.

Philadelphia (PA) Mayor Cherelle L. Parker welcomed Columbus (OH) Mayor Andrew Ginther, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), Scranton (PA) Mayor Paige Cognetti, Allentown (PA) Mayor Matt Tuerk, and Oklahoma City (OK) Mayor David Holt, USCM vice president, and the group spent the day discussing the housing challenges facing the residents of their cities and visiting examples of solutions in progress.

As Mayor Tuerk remarked, refuting the adage that all politics are local, “All politics seem to be housing.”

During Thursday’s press conference, Mayor Ginther agreed. “Our focus is very clear. There are many issues facing great American cities, all over this country. Housing is not an issue — it is the issue. Regardless of where you go in America, housing is by far the number one issue facing great American cities.”

“The bottom line is this: we need more housing, and we need more units that are affordable for low- and middle-income families,” said Mayor Ginther, describing America’s crisis in housing affordability. “We know this isn’t just an issue of doing the right thing and making sure that folks have an affordable place to live and raise their families, this is an economic development issue.”

Insufficient building and escalating costs have pushed buyers and renters to the brink. As a result, cities have struggled to attract and keep important sectors of the workforce, such as teachers, firefighters, public safety officers, and health professionals.

No doubt, America needs more housing to fill the “missing middle” between low-income housing and million-dollar homes.

“One of the things that we are happy to showcase, where we have been above the curve, is that our effort, the Turn the Key Program, has literally helped working Philadelphians to buy homes, who would otherwise still be trying to just figure out how to save for their down payment,”

Mayor Parker said at Thursday’s press conference.

Mayors spotlighted solutions while they were in Philadelphia. During the day’s events, they toured affordable houses built on publicly owned lands. They saw a 360-unit senior housing complex that was saved by the city housing authority. And, they visited an older home that received low-interest loans for updates. That program, the Restore Repair Renew program, was one Mayor Parker championed during her time on city council. It helps homeowners get low, fixed-rate loans to do upgrades on their home’s health, safety, weatherization, accessibility or quality of life features.

Mayors are already doing their part at the local level, which includes reforming their city’s land use policies to help remove barriers, overcome obstacles, and update the means to effectively increase housing supply. But they emphasized that Congress must do more.

“Rising rents are a function of a failure to build affordable housing as well as a historic lack of federal investment that spans four decades,” said Mayor Ginther.

Mayors demanded that Congress take action to support efforts to expand access to affordable housing in America. And they urged Congress to send resources directly to cities.

“Building new housing or rehabbing old housing looks different in Scranton than it might in Columbus or Allentown or Philly or Oklahoma City,” said Mayor Cognetti. “We know it’s not one-size-fits all for any generation or any type of family. We know it’s not a one-size-fits-all for our cities. That’s why direct funding from the federal government…is needed and mayors will continue to fight for those resources regardless of who is in the White House come January because we need that flexibility when it comes to making our own housing plans.”

Mayor Holt called on the next Administration and new Congress to approach the housing crisis in a bipartisan way because housing costs affect everyone — no matter where you live or what side of the political aisle you’re on.

“This issue has got to be bipartisan,” said Mayor Holt. “Regardless of who wins this election, that’s the fundamental point, whether it’s a Republican or a Democrat in the White House, whether it’s Republicans or Democrats who control the House and the Senate, we have got to have housing as a top priority.”

“When we work in a bipartisan way in Washington, as mayors have often nudged Congress and the Administration to do, we get things done,” said Mayor Holt.

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United States Conference of Mayors
United States Conference of Mayors

The United States Conference of Mayors. Official non-partisan organization of cities 30,000 in population and larger, each represented by their mayor.