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Dear Philadelphia City Council and Mayor Kenney,

We are writing to ask that you amend the proposed budget to include a $3 million investment into PEPP and Right to Counsel.

This historic budget season presents a critical opportunity to create long-term solutions to our city’s housing crisis. Unfortunately, the proposed budget currently seeks to reduce funding for the Philadelphia Eviction Prevention Project (PEPP)  by nearly 50% and leaves Right to Counsel unfunded for the second year in a row, despite Philadelphia City Council passing it unanimously in 2019.  Mayor Kenney, Council President Clarke, and Philadelphia City Council have a strong track record of supporting Philadelphia’s renters, from funding PEPP to unanimously passing Right to Counsel (RTC)  to creating a new Housing Trust Fund and the Neighborhood Preservation Initiative. Philadelphia can build on these investments to support stable housing in the City by investing $3 million to restore the cuts to PEPP and funding Right to Counsel (RTC).

Eviction prevention is a practical tool that saves the city money and protects lives. Each year, nearly 20,000 filings for evictions go through Philadelphia Courts. For every $1 invested in eviction prevention, Philadelphia saves $13 in social services costs. As you may know, evictions are most likely to impact single women with children, seniors, people of color, and Philadelphians who are disabled and homebound. Fully funding PEPP and RTC is, therefore, an investment in the entire public assistance system.

Pandemic-induced eviction moratoriums have helped keep thousands of Philadelphians in their homes, but residents across the city will be in critical danger of homelessness as those moratoriums expire. City Council and the Mayor must invest in RTC and in PEPP’s expansion to help Philadelphia get ahead of housing issues before the anticipated avalanche of evictions once temporary programs expire, and to ensure that renters with more complex cases have the help they need.

We ask that you work to ensure that  $3 million be invested in eviction prevention by restoring full funding to PEPP and funding RTC. Additionally, our coalition would like to request a meeting at your earliest convenience to discuss the critical needs for this funding. We that we are all committed to keeping Philadelphians safe and housed, and look forward to working with you to accomplish that goal.