Before joining Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration in March, Angela Brooks spent nearly two decades working on housing policy in Chicago, and before that, in her native Seattle. In addition to her wealth of professional experience, Brooks brings a level of personal motivation to her job as Philadelphia’s chief housing and urban development officer.
“If somebody like me wanted to move back home, I couldn’t,” Brooks said of Seattle, which ranks among the least affordable areas in the country. “What excites me about this job is doing what we did not do in my hometown: ensuring that there are housing opportunities for all in the city.”
To that end, Brooks is now in charge of the most ambitious efforts in years to remake housing in Philly: Mayor Cherelle Parker’s “Housing Opportunities Made Easy” or H.O.M.E. initiative. Earlier this month, City Council authorized $800 million in bonds for the ambitious plan, which is being spearheaded by the mayor and seeks to build or preserve 30,000 units of affordable housing over the course of her first term. Brooks is the point person for hashing out the details and implementing that plan.
On Monday night, Brooks spoke to an audience of roughly 100 people inside the Fitler Club ballroom. The gathering was part of The Citizen’s Development…for Good event series, which brings together bright minds to discuss topics related to the role of private development and public placemaking in reshaping the city. The series is an ongoing partnership between The Citizen, Drexel University’s Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation and Fitler Club.
Some observers have cast doubts over the administration’s ability to build and rehabilitate so much housing, so quickly. But Brooks spoke candidly with moderator Bruce Katz, a Citizen contributor, cofounder of Drexel’s Nowak Metro Finance Lab, and architect of the National Housing Crisis Task Force, about the realistic challenges to achieving the goals of H.O.M.E. and why she remains “cautiously optimistic” the city can get there eventually.
“Housing is not going away as an issue anytime soon in the city,” Brooks said. “So we’re going to have to think about the infrastructure we can set up long after Mayor Parker is in office which will continue to make sure that Philadelphia can produce the type of housing that we need.”
More specifically, Brooks endorsed strategies like expansions of Turn the Key and the Basic Systems Repair Program, two existing housing programs which have earned praise from both inside and outside of City Hall. Brooks also said that she’ll look to incorporate solutions from elsewhere in the country into H.O.M.E. as the details are hashed out. For example, the idea for One Philly Mortgage — a 30-year fixed-rate loan that’s being provided by the city through the new housing initiative — was borrowed from a successful program in Massachusetts.
Brooks at times brought levity and humor to the conversation, which showcased both the expertise and “rock star” charisma that’s been nationally celebrated. (Brooks, among other positions, served as the president of the American Planning Association — and was the first Black woman to do so.)
Among other topics, Mayor Parker’s housing czar spoke to the following:
- The wide spectrum of incomes that should be helped by H.O.M.E.. Brooks broke down the plan in detail, from the 9,000 “deeply affordable” units set to the 6,200 units of “workforce housing” which are being planned for.
- Why Brooks is “hyper focused” right now on improving the Land Bank to achieve its goals
- Mayor Parker’s infectious enthusiasm for H.O.M.E. — “she could sell ice to someone in hell,” Brooks said.
- How federal policy, including tariffs that are increasing construction costs and cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, pose hurdles to the city’s plans.
- Why Atlanta offers an important corollary to Philly as another majority-minority city with high homeownership rates
Video of our Development … for Good event:
Photos from How to Solve a Housing Crisis below:
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