Our families call our network the shelter that's not like the shelter, because we're very small and we're an intimate program that is child and family centered. We only house up to five families at a time in a local congregation and we are able to offer families privacy and quiet to provide a safe base from which to go to work, to get an education and to resolve problems. With hospitality and companionship provided by an extensive network of dedicated volunteers, we have over a thousand volunteers who we're representing here today. We are able to provide shelter in a respectful and nurturing manner. 266 While we have run our tiny little family shelter program for 13-plus years, the demand for our service has never been greater. Across the nation, family homelessness has increased percent for each of the past four 7 years. In Philadelphia, families now make up 8 approximately 66 percent of the shelter 9 population, and most of these shelters were 10 not designed to accommodate families. 11 In the past half year, at least 250 12 families have contacted us for help and 13 placement. While we can only shelter a 14 limited number of families, we do our best to 15 listen, assist and refer families to 16 appropriate shelter and housing programs. 17 There are certainly many reasons for 18 the increase in family homelessness, but first 19 and foremost is the lack of affordable 20 housing. Our experience in caring for the families who stay as our guests has greatly influenced our collective support for establishing a Housing Trust Fund in Philadelphia. So much so that we would gladly pay the marginal extra fees in our real estate 267 transactions if the funds could be used to create affordable housing opportunities for the families we shelter. If you take a look around the Council chambers today, you see many pictures of houses drawn by Sunday school children from our participating churches and synagogues, most of whom have spent time with the children in our network and share their classrooms with the family we shelter. They understand how important it is for every child to have a place to call home. If you read the wishes of these children on these pictures and if you look at the detail drawn by such young people, you will see how important a safe and stable home is to a child. When our congregation's children learned that 10,000 children in Philadelphia experience homelessness at some time last year and on any given night a thousand children are living in shelters, they decided to try to draw 10,000 houses. Now, they didn't make it up to 10,000, but they did manage to draw as 268 many houses as would result from a Housing Trust Fund in a year, 250, not to mention the 900 or more homes that would receive repairs and remain habitable as a result, and I have many, many pictures, beautiful pictures, that we didn't quite get to hang up, but they can decorate your office. Our congregations and our members are willing to do our part in accompanying the Hospitality Network families on their journey from homelessness to permanent housing, but we cannot be effective if we are operating in a vacuum of affordable housing. We'd rather not draw imaginary houses. So we ask our Councilmembers to make the dream of affordable housing a reality for all Philadelphians by supporting a local Housing Trust Fund. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you very much. Is Alicia Christian here? Is Reverend Will McKinney here? Susan Klein, she already testified. 269 Jenny Lucas, Outcomes Analyst from PEC; Nicole Harris, Blueprint to End Homelessness; and Debbie Russell, Liberty Resources. Are the three of you here? Thank you. Please come forward. And we would ask you, if you could, in the interest of time, we thank you for your patience, to make your remarks as concise as possible. It would be appreciated. Thank you. Feel free to introduce yourself to the record and begin your testimony.
Good evening. My name is Jenny Lucas and I'm from People's Emergency Center Community Development Corporation.
First, we encourage the City to move forward in creating a Philadelphia Housing Trust Fund. We're happy to join the coalition of more than a hundred 270 organizations in support of the Housing Trust Fund. Second, we applaud OHCD for continuing its practice of establishing a specific set-aside of CDBG funding for homelessness and special needs housing to better serve homeless individuals and families, people with AIDS and people with physical disabilities. The set-aside has had tremendous impact in our community and we encourage you to maintain it. Third, we request that the City support neighborhood economic development. We firmly believe that thriving commercial corridors and economic development programs are critical to the overall development of Philadelphia's neighborhoods. To that end, we strongly support the proposed Commercial Corridor Support Initiative. We also request that the Council consider restoring funding to the Small Business Commercial Improvement program, which is an innovative facade program which leverages private funding to enhance the 271 appearance of our neighborhood and boost the local economy. We also thank the City for partnering with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to support the Main Street and Elm Street initiatives, which leverage state money to support economic development along commercial corridors. Fourth, we request that the Council consider allocating additional resources for acquisition. Acquisition is key to housing production. Without a source of funding for property acquisition, redevelopment would not be possible. We urge the City to identify new resources for acquisition to ensure that critical affordable and mixed-use development projects continue to flow through the pipeline. Finally, we commend the City for continuing to its commitment to the Employer Assisted Housing program. Thank you very much. I also have the written testimony for here I'd like to submit. 272
Good evening. My name is Nicole Harris. I am the Interim Director of the Blueprint to End Homelessness. I am providing this testimony on behalf of the Blueprint to End Homelessness, which is a homeless advocacy and public/privacy program of the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition. I appreciate the opportunity to submit this testimony to the -- to present this testimony to City Council as far as the public participation process of the Consolidated Plan and the Housing Trust Fund. We urge City Council to continue its practice of specific set-aside of CDBG funding for homeless and special needs housing to better serve homeless individuals and families and people with AIDS and people with physical disabilities. The set-aside has had a positive impact in terms of assuring new housing units for the homeless, increasing development capacity amongst special needs 273 providers, and significantly increasing the federal dollars coming into Philadelphia for special needs projects. Moreover, we urge City Council to increase the level of resources allocated to development, financing for homeless and special needs housing. Such an increase will enable the City to fund critically needed permanent support of housing units without draining resources from other essential components of the homeless continuum of care. We urge you to maintain the Basic Systems Basic Repair program as a preventive measure so that those who cannot afford to make needed repairs for their homes do not become homeless. We also support the Housing Trust Fund. Constantly the demand for accessible and affordable housing exceed supply as incomes fail to keep pace with rising housing costs and housing production fails to keep pace with need. The City's continuum of care estimates a gap of over 7,000 beds in permanent housing for individuals and 274 families. The City of Philadelphia urgently needs more funding for affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization, particularly as our federal funding is cut. The Housing Trust Fund will help create homes and revitalize communities for the low-income and no-income households. The Housing Trust Fund has broad support from all sectors of the community. Thank you again for the opportunity to provide comments for your consideration. (Applause.)
Good evening. My name is Debra Russell and I am from Liberty Resources, Incorporated, Assistant Director of the community advocacy program there. As you've already heard, Liberty represents many disabled people who are a part of the City and community. I won't reiterate a lot of statistics that you've already heard, but I will just simply say that our right is to be free and to live in the community and be a part of the community just like anyone else. 275 We do not consider nursing homes and other institutions our own homes, and that is what we are about. I want to thank you for having the opportunity to give testimony this evening. I thank you for taking the time to continue to hear testimony, because it is important that our community be heard. We applaud the efforts of City Council to create the Housing Trust Fund, which is a beginning to the tremendous need for affordable, accessible, integrated housing in this community. Liberty Resources also is proudly a member of the Philadelphia Affordable Housing Coalition. That was formed because of recognition that many, many people in this City need affordable, accessible and integrated housing, and we've all come together and continue to fight for this issue. I am presenting testimony today specifically also in regards to the Consolidated Year 31 plan, and there are just a few specific issues that I would like to 276 identify related to that that are of concern to us. We are pleased that the proposed budget identifies homeless people involved in domestic violence situations as a top priority. This is a need that we are seeing affecting more and more disabled persons. In the past two months, LRI's housing advocacy department has worked with six different people unable to leave physically and emotionally abusive homes due to lack of alternative housing. A major problem that faces these individuals is lack of accessible emergency shelter. One particular consumer living with a crisis having chronic back problems and difficulty walking with a cane was offered a top bunk in a set of bunk beds for emergency housing as her only shelter option. As a result of that, she decided to stay where she was in a very dangerous situation and wound up very badly beaten and having a broken leg. A disability should not prevent people from accessing needed emergency housing 277 to escape violence within their homes. People with disabilities can and do face the very same problems that affect the general population, and we ask that their needs be taken into account when planning for an increase in domestic violence shelter beds. We are also happy to see that adaptive home modification has been given a high priority status in the proposed plan. Unfortunately, it does not appear that the budgetary allotment reflects this priority. 7 million. While OHCD states that it will apply for additional funding through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the City of Philadelphia still needs much more funding for this program to meet existing needs, much -- the additional funds allocated over the past two years have served to cut the waiting time for individuals who apply for assistance from seven years to three years. However, there are still people who have been waiting a very long time. 278 Many people with disabilities live in homes that are not accessible and need modifications, such as widened doorways, installation of ramps, stair lifts, roll in shower in bathrooms, et cetera. We serve numerous consumers who are stuck in an upstairs bedroom and can't get downstairs to leave the house. Others have not been able to get through the doorway to their bathroom or kitchen for years. A lack of adaptive home modification services contributes to the further isolation and segregation of people with disabilities, as well as dependency on others to meet their basic needs. We ask that OHCD explore other avenues of funding the Adaptive Modification program in addition to DCED.
Although Liberty strongly advocates for integrated housing for people with disabilities, we understand that OHCD's proposed commitment of development subsidy funding to projects that have commitments of Office of Housing and Urban Development 811 financing is unfortunately segregated housing. 279 The HUD 811 program provides funding for buildings only for tenants with disabilities. Since HUD's 811 program has undergone major cuts and may no longer be a viable option to create additional housing, we ask that any available funds intended for the 811 development subsidy be instead targeted towards the development of affordable, accessible, permanent, integrated housing. The Homeless Prevention program is also vitally important to maintaining low-income people with disabilities in the community. Funds to assist a renter or homeowner to bring current their rent or mortgage can prevent many more individuals and families from becoming statistics due to foreclosure, shelter entry or becoming part of the invisible homeless population that consistently moves from one friend or family's home to another, lives in their car or suffers another equally unacceptable fate. Fuel assistance services are also of the utmost importance to preventing the homelessness, especially for persons with 280 disabilities. According to HUD, utilities impose a disproportionate burden on the poor. For single, elderly, poor and disabled persons living on Social Security income, the average energy burden was percent of their SSI. 7 This is a number that jumps drastically higher 8 during the winter. 9 Studies have also demonstrated the 10 clear link between homelessness and utility 11 terminations. The National Low-Income Energy 12 Consortium conducted a study and found that 13 households that had a member with a disability 14 most frequently needed to abandon their homes 15 because they could not afford to heat or cool 16 them. Utility shut-offs are leading to not 17 only thousands of disabled persons living 18 without heat or electricity, but are actually 19 leading to the loss of their homes as well. In addition to leading to the loss of homes, utility shut-offs also stand as a barrier for moving people out of City-run shelters and into permanent housing. The Philadelphia Housing Authority currently has a policy banning individuals with overdue 281 balances of $1,500 with PECO or PGW from moving in. This is also a policy being adopted by other subsidized and affordable housing in the City. Once utilities are shut off, between shut-off charges and finance fees, it is easy for a bill to go from 500 to $1,500. It is imperative that the City devote more resources to the prevention of utility shut-offs. Similarly, the Basic System Repairs program and Weatherization programs help to maintain people in their homes and prevent further deterioration of our neighborhoods. Additional funds for these programs are vital for strength of our neighborhoods and community. Lastly, on a positive note, we again applaud OHCD's requirement that ten percent of all newly constructed dwellings be designed and built as accessible units for people with physical disabilities/mobility impairments and four percent for people with hearing and vision impairments. We acknowledge that OHCD's efforts 282 to address the housing crisis for low-income people with disabilities and look forward to the creation of increased housing opportunities for people with disabilities through the Housing Trust Fund. Thank you. )
Thank you very much. Charlotta Foster-Bay, are you here? Allison Hughes, Homeownership Counseling Association of Delaware Valley. Thank you. As you are coming forward, John Rowe, Neighborhood Energy Center Coalition. Thank you, those three. And while they're coming forward, is Penolope Giles here, President Francisville Neighborhood Association? What about Brenda Harrison, Block Captain, 55th and Beaumont? Ed Lynch, Utility Emergency Services Fund? No. Peggy Robertson and Diana Meyers? Vivian Vanstory, Community Land Trust Corp? And did I say Pat Bryant, Block Captain? Are you here? 283 After that, this is the last group that we know who are here to testify. So if there's anyone else, it will be your turn after this. We've completed our list. Thank you. Please identify yourself and begin your testimony.
My name is Charlotta Foster-Bay and I'd like to thank you for this opportunity and say good evening to everyone. I don't know for sure if I'm in the right place. I didn't even know if I would get to testify today. But excuse me. I'm still kind of short of breath. I just had surgery. The problem is, I was asked to leave my home, as many ones in Manayunk along the bike route were, but that wasn't the biggest problem. The biggest problem was, everything I ever owned, my babies' pictures, their pictures through life, all my certificates, their certificates, everything was taken. They kept everything. I went to court for 18 months. I 284 contacted Nutter, the Human Relations, the Mayor, even the President. Nobody can help me. I mean, this can't be happening. I have worked for the Police Department for years. 6 I'm a hospice volunteer, biota nurse, and I 7 have lots of commendations, and if they can do 8 this to me, what can they do to other people? 9 I mean, I don't have any drugs or anything in 10 my life. 11
Would 12 you please explain what happened to your 13 property? 14
First they 15 said they were going to gentrify the area 16 along the bike route and all minorities had to 17 leave. That I knew was wrong, but I just had 18 an accident and didn't feel up to fighting. 19 Anyway, I said at the eviction 20 hearing, Just give me a little extra time 21 until my son comes home from Girard College 22 and he can help me move, because I can't do it 23 myself. And she said, Well, what will you give me? 285 I said, In turn, you keep the three months' security. And that means they made out better. So one day I went to work. I came home. The door was locked. The lock had been changed and all my stuff was still inside. And when I tried to meet with -- my son had taken a job and never gotten the message, so he never showed up. She kept pretending she had a weapon. This is Nancy Noce (ph). She kept pretending she had a weapon. And then she told me exactly what to write down and sign, and, of course, I did it. But I had taken nothing. My son --
Boy, this was in 2003. And I went to court and I've been in court for 18 months and our wonderful court system tells me that's just fine. And I'm saying, there's got to be some organization that can help me. I'm just trying to be made whole again.
What 286 we will have to do -- I don't know. '03, you said, '02?
I went back and forth to courts for months. I mean, 10 she produced -- she said she couldn't contact 11 me, because there was no contact. 12
What 13 happened in court? Was it resolved in court? 14
No. That's 15 another thing I'm confused about. She said 16 she couldn't contact me because I had changed 17 my phone number. I produced evidence that not 18 only was my phone number still the same then, it was still the same now, and they just ignored it.
She produced bogus certificates to say that she had a writ of possession, which she didn't have, and all 287 they told her was put it away and don't produce it again.
What we'll do is ask if you could -- your councilman is here, Councilman Nutter. Perhaps you can have someone in your office look into the situation, this is a resident from Manayunk, that would be acceptable, and then all of us are happy to assist in any way we can.
Good evening, members of City Council. I'm delighted to be here to support the proposed --
-- Consolidated Plan for the Office of Housing and Community Development. My name is Allison Hughes. I'm the Executive Director of the Homeownership Counseling Association of Delaware Valley, a trade association of housing counseling 288 agencies. We currently have 34 member agencies. There's been a number of changes in the finance services over the past decade. We witnessed a tremendous growth in predatory lending and mortgages. We know that these mortgages carry onerous terms, excessive finance charges, unnecessary insurance coverage, high interest rates, repayment penalties and other charges. This exploitation of consumers is due to a variety of factors and is a rather complicated issue. In 2000, we launched the HELP program, which is the Homeowner Equity Loan Preservation program. It is a rescue program for victims of predatory lending. The program is a collaboration of the Reinvestment Fund, Community Legal Services, HCA and Beneficial Savings Bank. Since its inception, we have assisted 57 families, and the program has been able to reverse the effects of predatory loans for half of these families. Along with a new affordable loan, the homeowner who has been a victim of 289 predatory lending receives education on financial management skills in order to prevent future unnecessary debt accumulation. They receive assistance in clearing up credit problems, help with clearing up title defects and other assistance to support their financial needs and objectives. However, processing these applications continue to be a very time-consuming and labor-intensive project. In some instances, it may take over a year from the submission of the original application in order to get the loan in settlement. It takes time for Community Legal Services to negotiate with the existing lender to reduce the pay-off amount for the high-cost loan. In addition, in many of these instances, the properties have a number of municipal liens and other judgments clouding the title, and these all need to be resolved before we can close the loan. In 2003, NTI allocated 220,000 to the loan pool and established a $30,000 GAP 290 fund, which has been utilized to assist the applicants of the HELP program in closing on their loans. The grant funds may be used to reduce or write down the loan amount in order to make the loan more affordable for the family if the family is very low income or on a fixed income. The Reinvestment Fund, one of the collaborators in this partnership, provided an additional 220,000 to the loan pool. However, it is our belief that the extent and depth of predatory lending has not even surfaced yet. Most people with predatory loans simply are struggling to make the payments and it's not until some other crisis happens in their life that they can no longer pay the loan. At this point, any downturn in the local economy and we'll begin to see a lot more of these predatory situations hit the surface. Therefore, we commend NTI and OHCD for allocating more funds to the Preservation fund, as well as to housing counseling. This weekend I spent time with a person who had successfully overcome a 291 physical disability and a drug addiction. While in transitional housing, he was encouraged to purchase a home. Having no 5 knowledge of the home-buying process, this young man allowed the sellers to introduce him to a loan officer who handled all of his paperwork. When I sat down and looked at his documents, what I learned was that he paid $2,300 in broker fees to purchase a house that was $21,000. His monthly payment is $211 out of his $585 Social Security Disability. This $211 does not include his taxes or his insurance. 5 percent, and to make matters worse, he has a balloon note that will be due in 2014 in the amount of $20,570. In addition, his documents show that he paid 2,200 in delinquent real estate taxes and a water bill for the sellers. The man who I'm talking about is not just another client but also a family member.
I asked why he didn't come for help, and he said he really thought he was working with friends and he truly trusted them. 292 There has never been a greater need for housing counseling and education. Our residents and families are vulnerable to predatory lending, real estate and mortgage scams. On any given day, housing counselors are confronted with family after family in some type of housing crisis struggling to pay unaffordable loans, find safe housing or unable to keep up with the real estate taxes or protect their greatest asset with homeowners insurance. HCA applauds the City's continued investment of significant resources to provide its residents with free comprehensive housing counseling. Deborah McColloch and her staff at OHCD have led the charge as we have witnessed our housing counselors mature from very basic home buyer education to now being equipped with knowledge and expertise to engage in complex negotiation with loan servicers on behalf of homeowners who are in foreclosure. We urge the City to continue to support housing counseling to prevent 293 foreclosure. We are currently in the midst of a foreclosure crisis. The counselors are seeing an increased number of families who have fallen behind on their mortgages and need assistance to help them make viable arrangements. Therefore, we also urge you to make funding for the Homeless Prevention program a priority in this year's budget as well. Thank you for this opportunity to testify.
We thank you again for your patience, and thank you. Please identify yourself, Mr. Rowe.
Hi. I'm John Rowe and I represent the Coalition of Neighborhood Energy Centers. The mission of the Coalition is to ensure and expand the delivery of needed energy services to all low-income residents of Philadelphia. To accomplish this mission, the Coalition advocates for the continuation of 294 the following three components of the NEC model: Quality and experience, leveraging other needed resources and service to the entire City. The NEC system offers quality energy services that are available only at experienced organizations. The present system delivers a thorough analysis of a family's energy problems, devises the most appropriate approach to solve the problems and provides well-crafted solutions. The solutions often include conservation workshops, budget counseling, energy counseling and utility bill 15 negotiations. The solutions are based upon empowering families to understand what must be accomplished to resolve problems. Both short-term and long-term solutions are proposed. This approach is available through organizations with extensive knowledge of programs. Now, during the first ten months of fiscal year 2005, the NECs delivered energy services to over 30,000 families. The system is comprised of 295 organizations capable of leveraging many other needed resources so that families may be stabilized. The present NEC system delivers a full array of these needed stabilization services. All clients are evaluated to determine what other programs are necessary to attain and to ensure stability. This is possible because the NEC is located within a full-service experienced organization. For example, during fiscal year 2005, the NECs have enhanced the effect of delivered energy services through the direct provision of the following complementary services, and these following complementary energy services would be First-Time Homebuyers program; Default Delinquency Counseling; Homeowners Emergency Mortgage Assistance program; Individual Development Accounts, Anti-Predatory Lending; Tenant Counseling; Weatherization Assistance program; Water Conservation program; the Utility Emergency Services Fund; the WRAP program; Food, Clothing and Furniture Vouchers; Men's Support Group; Anger Management; Work Force 296 Development, and the list goes on. The NEC system serves low-income families who reside in every zip code in the City. I am providing with my testimony a chart which shows that every zip code is served and the most service is provided to the residents of those zip codes who need the services the most. And the NECs always serve 30 percent to 40 percent more clients than are paid for. So, in summary, there are insufficient funds provided to the NECs to serve all the families who are served by the NECs. And even with the funds provided, the organizations which run the NECs must subsidize their own administrative and overhead costs. The organizations do do this because of their commitments to their communities. I thank City Council for its support and I respectfully request that funding be increased from the present $260,000 to $500,000 for the NECs to equitably fund the services being provided. 297 Thank you.
Thank you very much. You've been extremely patient. Thank you. Do we have anyone else to testify on these bills? Please approach the witness table, if you will.
Please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Good evening, Council President Verna. My name is Marcus Saitschenko. I'm with the Housing Association of Delaware Valley. I'm a citizen of Philadelphia residing in Councilman DiCicco's district. I sit on the Mayor's Commission on People with Disabilities, specifically on the Housing Subcommittee of that Commission and also on the Blueprint to End Homelessness. I don't have any prepared notes. My testimony is going to be very short. The Housing Association has been in 298 service to your constituents for 95 years. The witnesses who preceded me exhaustively demonstrated to you the need for affordable and accessible housing. The Housing Association of Delaware Valley respectfully requests that you vote in favor of the bill 8 creating the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
Do we have anyone else to testify on the bills that are being considered?
Mr. Hanna, are you in the room? Mr. Hanna testified on the CDBG bill. For the record, he has to submit his testimony on the Housing Trust Fund. We'll allow him at this time to do that. And then are there any other witnesses in the room? (No response.)
Therefore, this will be the final testimony of the day. Thank you very much. 299
Council President, Committee Chairwoman, given the late hour, I'll leave it to your discretion, given the late hour. I can either read this testimony into the record or I can provide you my written testimony and be done with it. It's up to you. I have absolutely no problem. I practiced last night, so I'm in pretty good shape as far as reading is concerned, but, again, I want to...
I respectfully then choose, if I can, to submit this testimony, which I'm sure has been distributed to the Councilmembers, into the record.
A copy should be given to the stenographer so it could be transcribed in full.
Thank you, and the record will reflect the entire testimony being presented.
Thank you. Is there anyone else who would like to testify? (No response.)
One thing, for the record, I would like to say for the record is that the Administration, the Office of Housing, are wholeheartedly on board with the idea of the establishment of the Housing Trust Fund. It's something that we feel is very important. And, again, just for the record, I'd like to thank you, Councilwomen Blackwell and Blondell Reynolds Brown for your cooperation in getting the whole thing done. It's something that we worked very hard and long on, put a number of hours with the advocacy groups and the finally came to a point where we pretty much agreed on how it should be established, how the money should be spent, as well as the governing board. Thank you for your help.
Thank you. We would like to ask one more question, 301 Mr. Hanna. Thank you very much for your remarks. Should this committee decide to report these bills out and should there be an amendment, because there's a very important question that was asked to the NTI resolution 8 that would concern funds that would be commingled, would you be amenable to us and would we be legally able to then amend these, should we report them out, amend these bills on Monday when the other hearing is held? MS. McCOLLOCH: Yes. We can follow the amendment policy which is outlined in the Con Plan that you would pass -- it's listed in the appendices of the Consolidated Plan what our plan amendment process is. That includes an advertisement in the newspaper and taking public comment so we can amend the plan throughout the year anyway.
As you know, and as all of us know, we have a time crunch, so we'd like to get as much done now as possible, so that should we present amendments, we can present any amendments at a 302 later date. That's our concern, that should there be an amendment or should someone come up and decide they would like to have something else considered, that we're able to do that. We're pushing forward because we know we're at the end of our term and we have a time crunch. Thank you very much. Are there any questions from members of the committee? (No response.)
All right. Seeing none, that will end our hearing part of this meeting. (Public Meeting of Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development and the Homeless adjourned at 7:10 p.m.) - - - 303 CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings, evidence and objections are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon the foregoing matter on June 1, 2005, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. ______________________________ MICHELE L. MURPHY RPR-Notary Public (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.) 304 COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC MEETING - COMMITTEE ON HOUSING, NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND THE HOMELESS - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wednesday, June 1, 2005, 7:10 p.m. Bills 050059 and 050294 PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT ANNA C. VERNA COUNCILMAN JUAN F. RAMOS COUNCILMAN DAVID COHEN COUNCILWOMAN DONNA REED MILLER COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE L. BLACKWELL COUNCILMAN RICHARD T. MARIANO COUNCILMAN DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN V A R A L L O Incorporated Litigation Support Services 1835 Market Street, Suite 600 Philadelphia, PA 19103 215.561.2220 215.567.2670 305
We will enter into the stated meeting, and the Chair recognizes Councilman Ramos for a motion with the suspension of the rules with regard to Bill No. 050059.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that Bill No. 050059 be reported out of committee with a favorable recommendation. I further move that the rules of Council be suspended to permit first reading of this bill at our next Council meeting.
It has been moved and seconded that Bill No. 050059 be reported out of committee with a favorable recommendation and, furthermore, that the rules be suspended so as to permit first reading at our next session of Council. All in favor will say aye. COUNCIL MEMBERS: Aye.
The ayes have it and so the bill is reported out. (Applause.)
The Chair recognizes Councilman Mariano with a motion regarding Bill 050294 and with a suspension of the rules.
I make amotion that Bill 050294 be voted out with a favorable recommendation and I make a motion to suspend the rules for reading at the next session of Council.
It has been moved and seconded that Bill No. 050294 be reported out of committee with a favorable recommendation and also a recommendation that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading at our next session of Council. All in favor will say aye. COUNCIL MEMBERS: Aye.
The ayes have it, so both bills are reported out. We thank you all for your patience today. It was a long hard day and we thank everyone. Thank you. Thank you, Madam President, members of the committee and all members who are here. Thank you. Thank you all in the audience as well. Thank you. (Public Meeting of Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development and the Homeless adjourned at 7:15 p.m.) - - - 308 CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings, evidence and objections are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon the foregoing matter on June 1, 2005, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. ______________________________ MICHELE L. MURPHY RPR-Notary Public (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)