Philadelphia Housing Authority

The Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) is the city's public housing agency and one of the largest in the United States. It owns and operates public housing developments and scattered-site homes, administers the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program that subsidizes rent in private apartments, and acts as a developer of mixed-income housing. Although its name and board are tied to the city, PHA is an independent public authority created under state law and funded mainly by the federal government; it is not part of the mayor's cabinet and is distinct from the city's Division of Housing and Community Development.^[1]

1 Structure and leadership

PHA operates under a nine-member Board of Commissioners and is led day to day by a president and chief executive officer. According to the agency's website, most commissioners are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by City Council, and two are resident commissioners elected by PHA residents under the Pennsylvania Housing Authorities Law; Lynette M. Brown-Sow has chaired the board since 2013.^[5] Kelvin A. Jeremiah has held that post since March 2013, according to the agency's own biography, after earlier leadership turnover at the authority.^[2] The agency reports responsibility for about 13,000 affordable units, a voucher program of more than 22,000 households, over 800 employees and an annual operating and capital budget of roughly $650 million (the agency's website gives about $700 million elsewhere).^[2] Because it is a state-created authority, its employees are not under the city's civil service system, and its procurement follows federal HUD rules and state authority law rather than the city's Procurement Department.

2 Programs

• Public housing. Developments and scattered-site homes owned by PHA, where tenants typically pay a share of income as rent.
• Housing Choice Vouchers. Households find a private landlord who agrees to participate; PHA pays part of the rent and inspects the unit for HUD housing quality standards. Voucher holders are also protected by the city's source-of-income anti-discrimination rules, enforced by the Commission on Human Relations.
• Resident services and self-sufficiency programs, and homeownership assistance.
• Development. PHA partners with private and nonprofit developers on replacing obsolete public housing with mixed-income communities.

In April 2025 PHA detailed an "Opening Doors" plan to preserve, build or acquire about 20,000 affordable units over eight years, at an estimated cost of $6.3 billion, as reported by WHYY.^[6]

3 Funding and federal oversight

Most of PHA's money comes from HUD through annual appropriations, subject to federal budget decisions. HUD can audit the agency, designate it as troubled, or take over operations in extreme cases; in earlier decades the federal government intervened in PHA's management and reviews and audits have repeatedly examined its finances and maintenance. The authority also publishes an Annual Plan each year that must be available for public comment: in March 2026 PHA held a public hearing on a proposed amendment to its fiscal year 2027 Annual Plan, including a significant amendment related to HUD's Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program.^[3]

4 Waiting lists and applying

Demand for subsidized housing in Philadelphia far exceeds supply, and waiting lists open only occasionally. In January 2023 PHA reopened the Housing Choice Voucher list for the first time in more than a decade, accepting applications from January 23 to February 5, 2023, and selecting 10,000 applicants by random lottery (2,000 to receive vouchers immediately and 8,000 to be placed on a waiting list), as the Inquirer reported; applicants needed household income at or below 50 percent of area median income.^[7] PHA announces any future openings through its website and the media, so applicants should rely only on PHA's own announcements for opening dates and should be wary of third parties charging fees. Residents and applicants can reach PHA through its website or at 215-684-4000.

5 Redevelopment and conversion

Like many authorities, PHA has used federal programs to demolish and replace aging public housing and, more recently, to convert units to project-based subsidies through RAD, which lets the authority borrow private capital for repairs. Tenant advocates and some residents have raised concerns about relocation, long-term affordability and resident rights during such conversions, while PHA argues that the conversions preserve units that federal appropriations alone cannot maintain. These debates connect to the wider discussion in Tenant and Housing Advocacy Groups.

6 Complaints and relationships

Residents of PHA housing have grievance procedures set by federal rules, and unresolved matters can go to HUD or to the courts, including Municipal Court landlord-tenant proceedings, where PHA tenants have specific federal notice protections. PHA works with the Redevelopment Authority, the Land Bank and the City on land and development, and with the Office of Homeless Services on vouchers for people exiting homelessness. For general help finding a city service, see How to Get Help From the City.

See also: Division of Housing and Community Development, Office of Homeless Services, Federal Government and Philadelphia.

References

1. Philadelphia Housing Authority, About PHA, pha.phila.gov.
2. Philadelphia Housing Authority, "President and CEO," pha.phila.gov/about/president-and-ceo.
3. Philadelphia Housing Authority, Notice of Public Hearing and Public Comment, March 5, 2026 (FY 2027 Annual Plan amendment); PHA waiting list notices.
4. WHYY News, "Kelvin Jeremiah named head of Philadelphia Housing Authority," 2013.
5. Philadelphia Housing Authority, Board of Commissioners, pha.phila.gov/about/board-of-commissioners.
6. WHYY, "Philadelphia Housing Authority to preserve and build 20K affordable units" (Opening Doors), 2025.
7. Philadelphia Inquirer, "Philadelphia Housing Authority saw 'overwhelming demand' as it reopened a rental voucher waitlist," January 24, 2023.