Philadelphia's Eviction Prevention Program Hailed as a National Model—But Funding's In Jeopardy

In a typical pre-pandemic year, landlords in Philadelphia filed around 20,000 evictions. Last year, landlords filed just 4,500.

2 minute read

May 26, 2021, 11:00 AM PDT

By rkaufman


In a typical pre-pandemic year, according to research from the Reinvestment Fund, landlords in Philadelphia filed around 20,000 evictions. Between 2010 and 2019, that number shrank a bit, as employment, wages, and access to health insurance all inched upward, according to the group’s analysis. But rather than spiking when Covid-19 shut down the U.S. and put millions of people out of work, the eviction rate dropped. In 2020, landlords filed 4,500 evictions against tenants, according to the Philadelphia Eviction Prevention Project (PEPP), a coalition of legal aid and tenant advocacy groups.

The drop is thanks to a combination of federal moratoria on evictions, emergency rental assistance, and sustained local commitment to programs like eviction diversion, says Rasheedah Phillips, managing attorney for housing policy at Community Legal Services, one of the groups that coordinates PEPP. But Philadelphia is still one of the poorest big cities in America. And as the moratoria begin to expire this year, Phillips says, “The eviction rates are going to go right back up.”

The Philadelphia Eviction Prevention Project was launched at the beginning of 2018 with a $500,000 budget. Among the services the group provides are a tenant hotline for tenants to access legal services, a “lawyer-of-the-day” program providing free legal representation to tenants in eviction court, and frequent tenants’ rights workshops from the Tenant Union Representative Network. In 2019, PEPP had a budget of $2.1 million, and last year, after some budgetary negotiations during the pandemic fallout, it worked with $1.8 million, according to Phillips. This year, according to a report in WHYY, Mayor Jim Kenney’s proposed budget includes $931,000 for the project. (The city’s press office did not respond to questions about the proposal.) Advocates are now fighting to have at least $2.1 million restored for PEPP in the budget negotiation process between the mayor and city council.

Tuesday, May 18, 2021 in Next City

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 21, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and yellow DART light rail train in Dallas, Texas with brick building in background.

DARTSpace Platform Streamlines Dallas TOD Application Process

The Dallas transit agency hopes a shorter permitting timeline will boost transit-oriented development around rail stations.

6 seconds ago - Mass Transit

Traffic in front of Trump Hotel in Manhattan, New York City.

Judge Extends NYC Congestion Pricing Through at Least June 9

A federal judge halted the Trump administration’s effort to kill the program, which remains in limbo as a lawsuit filed by the MTA moves forward.

1 hour ago - Associated Press via KCRA

View from hilltop residential neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles, California on a cloudy day.

LA Falling Behind on Housing Goals

Last year, the city permitted just 30 percent of the number of housing units needed to meet a growing need.

May 27 - LAist

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.