‘It’s just a blessing’: Philly officials and residents celebrate affordable housing development in Grays Ferry

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A rapidly gentrifying section of South Philadelphia is now home to 27 units of permanently affordable housing.

The Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) partnered with the nonprofit Women’s Community Revitalization Project (WCRP) to jointly subsidize the units at the Arlene Thorpe Townhomes, with monthly rent ranging from $282 for a one-bedroom apartment to $890 for a three-bedroom unit.

Elected and city officials joined residents for a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday in front of the Grays Ferry development, named for a beloved community activist. Families started moving to the townhomes in March.

“We have to make sure that individuals who are long-term residents can move into Grays Ferry or Point Breeze, or any other neighborhood throughout the city of Philadelphia, irregardless of your checkbook or your pocketbook,” said City Council President Kenyatta Johnson, whose district includes the townhomes.

WCRP is subsidizing 12 of the units using a portion of the developer fees the organization collected from the project. The housing authority is subsidizing the rest of the townhomes.

The $16 million development sits on a group of city-owned lots donated to a community land trust, which ensures the townhomes remain permanently affordable. The project is part of a broader anti-displacement strategy launched by the WCRP, which developed the units with help from the city and other partners.

“We believe in expanding the availability of affordable housing across the city,” said PHA president Kelvin Jeremiah during Thursday’s ceremony at 27th and Manton Streets.

With the subsidies, one-bedroom apartments range from $282 to $463 per month, two-bedroom apartments range from $303 to $800, and three-bedroom apartments range from $339 to $890.

The median rent for an apartment in Grays Ferry is roughly $1,500, according to Zumper.

“It’s just a blessing,” said Tanasha Walker, an Amtrak employee who lives in one of the units with her two children.

Walker moved to the townhomes about a year after a devastating robbery forced her to move back to the city. She had relocated her family to the South with hopes of providing a safer place for her children to grow up. But after losing everything, she needed help getting back on her feet, a process that took months and time living without her kids, who stayed with their grandmother while Walker saved for the next chapter.

She was thrilled when she learned she’d been approved to move into the townhomes.

“Having a home that I can afford means that I can pay my rent on time and take care of my children,” said Walker.