Philadelphia Housing Authority Moves 7 Families From Homeless Encampment Into Rehabilitated Homes
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The first homes from the homeless encampment deal are ready for occupancy just in time for the holidays, but some Philadelphia housing activists say the city is breaking its promise.
While some families are moving into their new, permanent homes, everyone at Tuesday's celebration recognized that this was an extremely contentious situation with a somewhat of a happy ending.
Jannie Mitchell and her children will celebrate Christmas in a place that's all theirs.
"Me and my family finally have a house that we can call our home," Mitchell said.
It's been a long time in the making
"Right now, this is great because this helps her get reunified with her children," one woman said.
Mitchell and six other families are moving in.
Philadelphia Housing Authority renovated seven homes on Westmont Avenue. The land trust created by the organizer of the former Camp Teddy encampment is responsible for rehabilitating another two homes on that block for a total of nine homes.
"These were largely uninhabited, nonviable units that we had to put in a lot of money to get them back," Kelvin Jeremiah, CEO of the Philadelphia Housing Authority, said.
$150,000 per unit to be exact, and a lot of volunteer work. Painters, plumbers, carpenters and electricians all donated their time.
"They took some of the encampment residents and trained them to do some work projects and they actually put in some blood, sweat and tears into these houses," Tumar Alexander, Philadelphia's managing director, said.
With the encampment gone from the Sharswood neighborhood, the $52 million shopping center and housing complex is 70% done. But people from the Ben Franklin Parkway encampment are still waiting for answers.
"Integrity. Do what you say you're going to do," Ruth Birchett with the Heritage Community Development Corporation said.
Philadelphia Housing Authority and the city agreed to transfer 50 properties to the land trust. While the Housing Authority has secured its 25, there are still questions about where the city is with theirs.
"That they honor the commitment to convert these houses," Birchett said.
Not only is it expensive to renovate these dilapidated properties, but the land trust also needs to have insurance to accept them, which can be incredibly expensive.
The mayor's office said in a statement, "The city has been working with encampment organizers as they created the Community Land Trust, and we have shown them dozens of city-owned properties as part of this process. We will continue to work with them to identify possible properties and further our shared goal of creating local solutions to the national affordable housing crisis,"
