PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The transformation of North Philadelphia’s Sharswood has just entered phase three. The Philadelphia Housing Authority says the once-ignored, undesirable neighborhood is on the rise. But there is a danger that people waiting for public housing opportunities will get dropped from the waitlist.
When completed by the end of 2024, the small triangle of land just to the north of Girard College will boast 1,200 units of mixed-income and affordable housing for renters and homeowners. About 700 units are already occupied.
“This is the place to be. They're having real equity in the homeownership units or they're buying. They're living in nice housing,” said PHA President Kelvin Jeremiah. “Washer, dryer on the second floor, dishwashers in the kitchen, central air, central heat, hardwood floors, open floor plan.”
Jeremiah says the Sharswood development is becoming the talk of Philly housing.
“As you come up on Ridge and College Ave, you will be seeing this spectacular development that includes a mix of retail and housing above. And it recreates the kind of housing that was shared in the 1950s and ’60s before the race riots,” he said.
According to PHA, nearly 16,000 Phildelphians are on the waitlist for public housing — and they all have just a couple of weeks to make sure they don’t get dropped.
PHA says they need everyone who has applied for public housing to update their contact and household information on file between Oct. 16 and Oct. 27. Applicants who fail to comply with the request during the designated time period will have their names removed from the waiting list.
“You’d be missing the opportunity, when you don't take the opportunity to go back and let us know that ‘That address that I used last year is no longer valid, but I still have a need for affordable housing,’” Jeremiah said.
“PHA wants to house applicants who want and need housing as quickly as possible and without delay. By updating the waiting list, we can eliminate applicants who are no longer interested in housing.”
After this process, he said, applicants who are in need of housing will no longer need to wait behind people who are not, Jeremiah says. And PHA reps are ready to help.
Everyone currently on the PHA public housing waitlist will receive a letter notifying them how to update their information.