Doug Shimell

For years, Hapco Philadelphia members have been a crucial component of the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s Section 8 program.

But over time, PHA has seen a dramatic decline in the number of rental property owners that accept Housing Choice Vouchers.  Hapco Philadelphia says much of that drop off is due to years of City of Philadelphia laws, regulations, fees, and costs that made it tough for rental property owners to stay in the affordable housing market.

And it didn’t help matters that PHA had a recent fatal fire in one of their apartment buildings in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia.

Now, PHA has just received more than 800 new emergency Section 8 vouchers and is trying to incentivize HP members and other rental owners to participate in the program.

As PHA outlined in an HCV webinar with Hapco Philadelphia in February, there are now signing bonuses and other incentives design to entice rental owners to sign up for the Section 8 program.

Now is your time to let Philadelphia’s Water Department know your feelings about a pending water rate hike.

They tried it once before in Pittsburgh, and it failed.

And now, a second effort to register rental property owners there is drawing a lawsuit from a rental owners’ association.

Much like Hapco Philadelphia members had to adapt to COVID laws and an eviction moratorium, Philly restaurants were forced to create “streeteries” to survive pandemic bans on indoor dining.

HP members and small restaurants are in this battle together.  All the more reason for small restaurateurs to be part of the city’s largest rental owner advocacy group.

Philadelphia’s Housing Advisory Board deals with all aspects of housing in the city.

Its upcoming meeting March 16th at 10am deals with the future of rental assistance and the controversial Eviction Diversion Program, not to mention construction RFPs and neighborhood preservation.