►
From YouTube: Committee on Finance - Testimony on Bill No. 170519 6-5-2017 Tax Foreclosure Diversion
Description
From the hearing of Philadelphia City Council's Committee on Finance held Monday, June 5, 2017:
Testimony on Ordinance No. 170519
An Ordinance amending Chapter 19-1300 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Real Estate Taxes," by creating a tax foreclosure diversion program that requires housing counseling assistance, updating tax installment payment agreements to help taxpayers with financial hardships, and other related items; all under certain terms and conditions.
Read the ordinance: http://bit.ly/2r2O3jt
Committee on Finance
Chair: Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell (3rd District)
Vice Chair: Councilman Bobby Henon (6th District)
A
C
Afternoon,
chairwoman,
Blackwell
and
members
of
the
Committee
on
Finance
I'm,
Frank,
Breslin
revenue,
commissioner
and
chief
collections
officer.
Thank
you
for
the
opportunity
to
testify
on
bill
one
seven:
zero,
five,
one
nine,
which
seeks
to
help
our
most
vulnerable
homeowners,
avoid
foreclosure
and
remain
tax
compliant.
The
administration,
and
particularly
the
Department
of
Revenue,
are
in
complete
agreement
that
helping
homeowners
stay
in
their
homes
is
a
moral
and
financial
obligation
we
have
to
our
residents.
C
Several
years
ago,
the
Department
of
Revenue,
the
law,
Department
Community,
Legal
Services
and
City
Council
work
collaboratively
collaboratively
for
approximately
18
months
to
develop
the
owner-occupied
payment
agreement.
We
call
oopah
for
most
homeowners,
who
ties
their
monthly
payment
for
delinquent
real
estate
taxes
to
their
ability
to
pay.
Thousands
of
individuals
and
families
have
entered
the
program
and
are
making
their
monthly
payments
and
are
protected
from
further
enforcement
and
additional
interest
in
penalties
offering
oofah.
While
continuing
to
improve
our
collection.
C
Now
that
we
have
a
few
years
experience
with
Hoopa,
we
can
see
that
there
are
still
some
gaps
in
the
safety
net,
in
particular
low-income
honam
homeowners,
who
cannot
afford
to
pay
the
current
year
bill
a
requirement
under
but
are
still
struggling
bill,
one
seven
zero
five
one
nine
offers
a
starting
point
for
the
team
that
developed,
oppa
and
others
to
come
together
again
to
design
a
solution
that
will
protect
these
homeowners.
We
met
last
Thursday
with
council
president
staff
about
ideas
to
develop
these
initial
proposals
into
a
successful
program.
C
We
discussed
how
to
engage
more
stakeholders
like
the
legal
services
and
housing,
counseling
agencies,
various
city
departments,
community
and
civic
leaders
and
the
homeowners
themselves
into
the
process
of
designing
the
program
to
meet
our
shared
goal
of
keeping
homeowners
in
their
homes
and
avoiding
the
threat
of
tax
foreclosure.
We
look
forward
to
collaborating
on
this
effort.
Thank
you
for
the
opportunity
to
testify
this
afternoon,
I'm
happy
to
answer
any
questions.
Thank.
D
D
C
D
C
Possibly
there's
other
there's
other
opportunities,
as
I
said
in
my
testimony.
One
of
the
things
that's
a
requirement
of
oofah
is
to
use
the
$25
a
month.
Example
a
taxpayer
who's
in
that
agreement
and
paying
$25
a
month
when
their
new
year's
tax
liability
rolls
on
the
requirement
is
to
stay
current
on
that,
and
that
has
been
a
an
obstacle
for
some
taxpayers
to
remain
current
in
there
oofah
agreement.
Now
that,
although
the
the
law
doesn't
require
me
require
it,
the
department
were
made
aware
of
those
situations.
C
D
C
Some
of
the
things
discuss
would
be
to
formalize
that
ability
to
roll
the
current
your
taxes
into
the
into
the
agreement.
That
would
allow
the
current
program
to
exist
with
revision,
as
opposed
to
designing
a
completely
separate
deferral
program.
But
really
the
goal
is
I
mean
this
was
one
meeting
and
you
know
a
little
bit
of
brainstorming,
but
we
really
want
to
get
all
the
stakeholders
into
a
room
and
really
discuss
what
the
options
are.
D
D
C
Absolutely
I
mean
that
was
the
goal
of
this
is
to,
and
the
Department
of
Revenue
is
committed
to
trying
to
increase
enrollment
in
all
of
the
assistance
programs
and
this
past
year.
This
is
the
current
fiscal
year
we
brought
on
an
administrator
for
assistance
programs
in
both
for
both
the
tax
ID
and
the
water
side
of
the
department
and.
D
C
A
A
Thank
you
good
afternoon.
Please
identify
yourself
in
any
order
and
begin
your
testimony
good
afternoon.
Thank
you
for
having
us.
My
name
is
Katherine
Martin
I'm,
a
staff
attorney
at
community
legal
services
I'm
here
with
my
client,
Rocco
lebra
Schiano
community
legal
services
of
Philadelphia
has
long
been
an
advocate
of
low-income
homeowners.
Today
we
support
council
president
Clark's
proposed
bill
to
create
a
tax
diversion
program
and
a
tax
deferral
program
in
support
of
the
tax
deferral
program.
We
offer
the
testimony
of
my
client
mr.
A
Thank
you.
Ma'am.
My
name
is
Rocco
Birgeneau
I
reside
1731
southmost,
Theresa
love,
you
Pennsylvania
one,
nine
one,
four,
five,
our
zip
code,
my
mother
and
father,
are
the
record
owners
of
my
home
in
South,
Laurel
Aafia
I
live
in
home
all
my
life,
my
mother,
passed
away
in
1998.
My
father
was
a
retired
federal
police
officer,
I
captained
that
he
was
deceased
now
I
used
to
work
for
the
full
of
his
school
board
and
I
was
injured
on
the
job
and
I
was
shot
six
times
in
the
back.
I
was
saving
my
little
daughter.
A
A
E
Good
afternoon
my
Maryland
trout,
that
fell
off
your
legal
assistance.
Madam
chairman
members,
the
committee
I'd
like
to
thank
you
for
this
opportunity
to
speak
and
support
of
this
bill,
which
is
an
immensely
important
bill.
I'm
with
foot
up
to
legal
assistance
where
I've
worked
through
the
last
22
years,
I've
been
an
attorney
representing
low-income
homeowners.
They
attempt
to
prevent
them
from
losing
their
homes
to
tax
and
mortgage
foreclosure
for
the
past
42
years.
I
would
like
to
first
applaud
the
testimony
of
the
revenue
commissioner,
mr.
Breslin,
and
his
recognition
that
the.
E
The
robust
protections
that
are
in
place
currently
for
preventing
low
income
homeowners
from
losing
their
homes
has
some
gaps.
There
are
holes
in
the
safety
net
through
which
people
are
flowing
and
the
people
in
our
experience
that
are
falling
through
those
safety
net
are
the
most
vulnerable,
the
people
most
in
need
of
affordable
housing,
my
minority
homeowners
and
it's
our
experience
running
the
Savior
home
fili
hotline,
which
is
supported
by
the
department
of
housing
community
development
in
the
city
of
philadelphia.
We
run
the
hotline.
E
It
was
originally
a
hotline
designed
to
protect
homeowners
from
mortgage
foreclosure
as
part
of
the
city
Philadelphia's
mortgage
foreclosure
prevention
program
and
this
part
of
the
first
judicial
districts
mortgage
foreclosure
diversion
program
in
recent
years.
Tax
foreclosures
have
now
far
outstripped
mortgage
foreclosures
as
the
primary
source
of
people,
low
income
people
losing
their
homes.
I
have
attached
I'm,
not
going
to
read
my
testimony,
I'm
going
to
try
to
summarize
it
I've
attached
to
my
testimony.
I
don't
know
if
council
members
have
have
that,
but
there
are,
there
are
two
charts
and
app
attached.
E
As
best
it
could
be
determined
of
the
residential
properties
that
are
being
so
that
are
subject
to
petition
tax
sale.
Petitions
in
the
city
of
Philadelphia
for
the
year
2016,
the
vast
majority
of
them
are
in
minority
majority,
minority
census,
areas
of
the
city
of
Philadelphia,
eighty-five
percent
or
eighty
four
percent
of
the
properties
that
are
subject
to
tax
petitions.
Residential
properties
are
in
minority
majority
census,
tracts
of
the
city,
which
means
it's
our
experience,
and
this
is
anecdotal
experience
from
the
people
who
we
see
coming
to
us
for
help.
E
E
E
Decimated
and
transferred
to
private
business
interests,
so
in
closing,
I'd
like
to
once
again
thank
you
for
the
opportunity
to
to
speak.
I
want
a
particular
thank
councilman
council
president
Clark
for
inviting
me
to
to
address
this
bill
and
to
share
our
experiences
on
the
hotline
with
what
we're
seeing
and
be
happy
to
answer
questions
to
an
hour
at
the
end
of
the
customer.
F
Good
afternoon,
members
of
the
committee
I'd
like
to
thank
you
for
this
opportunity
to
speak
today
in
support
a
bill
1705
one.
Nine
community
legal
services
strongly
supports
this
bill,
which
adds
two
very
significant
protections
to
our
city's,
most
vulnerable
homeowners
when
they're
struggling
to
pay
their
annual
real
estate
taxes
owed
on
their
most
valuable
asset,
their
homes.
First,
the
bill
creates
a
property
tax
foreclosure
diversion
program
similar
to
similar
to
Philadelphia's,
nationally
renowned
mortgage
foreclosure
diversion
program.
F
Tax
delinquent
homeowners
would
be
referred
to
housing,
counseling
and
legal
services
agencies
early
and
often
during
the
collection
process,
for
assistance
applying
for
programs
such
as
the
homestead
exception,
the
senior
tax
freeze
and
the
owner
occupied
payment
agreement
program.
Second,
the
bill
creates
a
property
tax
deferral
program
which
would
allow
our
most
vulnerable
homeowners,
families
Liberty,
deep
poverty,
the
elderly
people
who
are
physically
and
mentally
disabled
to
defer
payment
of
real
estate
taxes
owed
on
their
homes.
F
This
would
allow
these
homeowners
to
remain
in
their
homes
rather
than
losing
their
homes
at
a
tax
sale
and
pushing
them
into
the
city,
shelter,
system,
nursing
homes,
hospitals
and
streets,
sometimes
at
a
net
cost
to
the
city.
I
am
a
supervising
attorney
at
community
legal
services
in
Philadelphia,
where
we
provide
free
legal
services
and
representation
to
low
income
Philadelphia's.
When
I
began
working
at
CLS,
my
work
focused
on
defending
homeowners
facing
mortgage
foreclosures
or
predatory
lending
by
private
banks.
F
We
can
estimate
that
there
are
at
least
20,000
residential
homestead
properties
with
tax
delinquencies,
outstanding
and
I
believe
the
number
is
probably
closer
to
25
thousand.
Not
all
these
homeowners
are
necessarily
low
income.
However,
in
a
city
where
20
per
6
or
6
percent
of
Philadelphians
live
in
poverty
and
184,000
Philadelphia's
live
in
deep
poverty
on
less
than
850
dollars
a
month
for
a
family
of
3,
we
can
safely
say
that
there
are
thousands
of
low
income
homeowners
we're
struggling
each
month
with
a
choice
to
pay
for
either
food
water
or
property
taxes.
F
Many
of
these
poorest
homeowners
are
elderly
and
living
on
fixed
Social,
Security
benefits.
Others
like
mr.
lebryk
siano,
are
surviving
on
disability
benefits.
These
are
the
most
vulnerable
homeowners
who
are
slipping
through
the
city's
current
safety
net
bill.
1705
1-9
is
a
significant
step
towards
improving
the
safety
net
in
to
import
ways.
First,
it
broadens
the
net
by
creating
the
tax
diversion
program
that
will
allow
the
Department
of
Revenue
to
quickly
refer
eligible
homeowners
to
housing,
counseling
and
legal
service
agencies
as
early
as
possible.
F
These
agencies
can
provide
advice
and
assistance
and
applying
for
payment
plans
or
other
tax
relief
tax
relief
programs
or
help
homeowners
deal
with
the
threat
and
anxiety
of
a
tax.
Poor
closure
filing
against
their
home.
A
tax
diversion
program
will
need
to
be
paid
for
and
funded,
but
the
cost
should
be
reduced
since
Philadelphia
already
has
an
active
system
of
housing,
counseling
and
legal
service
agencies
in
place.
Under
the
current
mortgage
diversion
program,
any
new
costs
will
involve
expanding
the
current
system,
not
simply
creating
it
out
of
whole
cloth.
F
Additionally,
every
time
a
proposed
diversion
program
helps
the
taxpayer
enter
into
a
payment
plan
or
resolve
litigation.
The
city
will
save
on
considerable
time
and
expense
in
court
costs,
attorneys
fees
and
other
charges
of
litigation.
We
will
be
submitting
a
set
of
proposed
amendments
to
the
bill,
which
should
clarify
that
access
to
housing,
counseling
and
legal
service
agencies
should
occur
early,
often
and
throughout
the
process.
F
These
referrals
should
begin
when
the
initial
bills
are
sent
out
in
November
or
December
throughout
any
foreclosure
litigation
and
even
after
the
sale,
so
homeowners
can
be
advised
of
their
right
of
redemption.
Nevertheless,
we
applaud
the
fundamental
idea
that
expanding
the
safety
of
expanding
the
safety
net
by
using
the
system
of
local
agencies
we
already
have
in
place
throughout
the
neighborhoods
in
Philadelphia
to
help
all
homeowners,
not
just
the
forest,
successfully
pay
their
property
taxes
and
to
access
tax
relief
programs
like
the
homestead
exemption
and
the
owner-occupied
payment
agreement
program.
F
The
deferred
taxes
would
accrue
interest
and
come
due
when
the
homeowner
dies
or
the
property
is
sold.
The
bill
also
caps.
The
total
of
annual
deferrals
allowing
the
city
to
annual
accurately
predict
the
maximum
financial
cost
of
the
program
for
homeowners
living
in
deep
poverty.
A
full
or
partial
deferral
may
be
the
only
way
they
can
afford
to
reign
in
their
homes
living
on
less
than
$750
a
month.
Mr.
F
lebryk
siano
struggles,
the
paÃses
bills
each
month,
I
have
other
elderly
clients
who
are
surviving
on
food
stamps
and
meals
on
wheels,
but
simply
have
nothing
left
over
at
the
end
of
the
year
to
pay
their
annual
property
taxes.
Some
of
my
clients
suffer
from
physical
and
mental
disabilities,
which
makes
paying
the
bills
even
more
challenging.
The
proposed
deferral
program
would
help
make.
Many
of
these
homeowners
would
help
any
of
these
homeowners
to
shelter
in
place,
sometimes
the
considerably
less
cost
to
the
city
than
if
they
were
forced
into
the
shelter
system.
For
example,
mr.
F
lebryk
ayano's
home
was
sold
to
collect
less
than
six
thousand
dollars.
Total
in
water
and
tax
bills
without
CLS
has
helped
set
aside
the
sale.
If
Rocco
lebra
siano
had
been
ejected
and
moved
into
the
shelter
system,
even
at
the
lowest
cost
of
$40
per
night
per
bed
for
a
shelter
bed,
mr.
lebryk
iana
would
have
cost
the
city
fourteen
thousand
six
hundred
dollars
annually.
That's
a
net
loss
to
the
city
of
eight
thousand
six
hundred
dollars
if
he
was
elderly
or
had
children
or
required
hospitalization
or
other
social
services.
F
The
cost
to
the
city
could
have
been
dramatically
higher.
The
proposed
act-
tax
deferral
program
recognizes
that
in
certain
situations
it
is
simply
more
cost-effective
for
the
city
to
allow
some
homeowners
to
shelter
in
place
in
their
homes,
rather
than
to
foreclose
on
them
for
a
relatively
small
amount
of
money
and
incur
greater
costs
later
on.
We
urge
the
committee
to
vote
in
favor
of
this
bill.
F
Property
taxes
affect
us
all,
but
in
a
city
with
one
of
the
highest
rates
of
lower
home
low
income
homeownership
in
the
nation
property
taxes
have
the
most
impact
on
Philadelphia's,
poorest
and
most
most
vulnerable
homeowners
without
programs.
Without
the
programs
contained
in
this
bill,
the
city's
increased
collection
efforts,
though
well-intentioned,
threatened
to
substantially
reduce
the
city's
stock
of
affordable
housing.
The
diversion
program
in
the
deferral
program
proposed
by
this
bill
go
a
long
way
to
set
a
policy
that
says
to
these
vulnerable
homeowners
you're,
not
just
a
source
of
revenue.
F
D
F
D
F
I
think
to
go
back
to
your
the
commissioners.
Early
response
to
you
I
think
it's
important
to
understand
that
with
OPA
you
don't
just
pay
$25
a
month.
It's
that
there
are
tears
of
payments,
so
those
with
the
lowest
level
of
income
30%
of
area
median
income
in
Philadelphia.
They
might
someone
living
on
735
a
month.
They
might
pay
$25
a
month
towards
and
delinquency
they
still
have
to
maintain
the
current
taxes
in
full.
So
if
their
yearly
tax
bill
is
$2,400,
they
need
to
be
saving
another
200
a
month.
F
On
top
of
that
25,
so
they're.
What
I
usually
explain
to
clients
is
your
house
bill?
Your
rent
to
stay
in
your
home
is
really
that
$200
for
next
year's
taxes
plus
another
$25.
On
top
of
that,
what
we're
running
into
is
some
people
are
able
to
do
that.
They
can
make
those
2
monthly
payments,
but
now
we're
running
into
the
people
whose
incomes
are
so
low
and
money
is
so
tight.
They
can't
afford
to
save
up
next
year's
tax
bill.
It's
simply
too
tight,
so
simply
lowering
the
monthly
payment.
E
I
could
is
it
accomplishes.
One
important
distinction
is
that
oopah
is
backward.
Looking
this
one
backward-looking.
The
the
amendments
in
this
bill
are
forward-looking,
so
OPA
is
designed
was
originally
designed
to
address
tax
delinquencies.
It
wasn't
designed
to
address
the
current
obligation
to
pay
taxes
as
Monti
described.
So
when
you
go
into
an
uber
agreement
and
they
say
okay
for
the
lowest
peer,
you
can
pay
$25
a
month
for
the
back
taxes
essentially
what's
happening.
Is
that
there's
a
deferral
of
those
back
taxes
you're
paying
$25
a
month
on
those
back
taxes?
E
If
the
property's
ever
sold,
those
back
taxes
will
be
collected,
but
you
have
to
pay
the
current
taxes.
Now
the
current
taxes
can
be
small,
they
can
be
big
and
in
many
areas
of
Philadelphia,
which
once
were
moderate
and
low-income
areas,
they
are
not
growing
and
often
dramatically
growing,
so
looking
forward,
what
we're
seeing
are
people
who
one
simply
can't
afford,
as
Monti
described,
may
not
be
able
to
afford
any
significant
amount
of
taxes
simply
if
they're
living
on
$7
a
month,
because
they're
on
Social,
Security
or
SSI
you've
had
a
lifetime
of
work.
E
These
are
people
who,
for
some
reason,
after
they've
paid
their
mortgages,
has
limited
income
drastically
reduced
income
because
of
age
or
disability,
or
some
other
problem,
and
now
can't
because
there's
no
mortgage,
when
there
was
a
mortgage
of
taxes,
are
being
paid
now,
there's
no
mortgage
taxes
are
being
paid,
so
so
people
there
are
people
who
can't
afford
even
modest
taxes,
sometimes
often
can't
afford
rapidly
rising
taxes.
Often
don't
have
the
wherewithal
to
object
when
the
city,
sometimes
wrongfully,
dramatically,
increases
the
value
of
a
property
without
actually
looking
at
the
property
to
justify
the
increase.
E
So
you
have
people
that
that
are
the
least
able
to
defend
themselves
against
a
sale
and
what
we
see.
That's,
whose
houses
the
city
you're
selling
you
know.
Maybe
the
city
is
also
selling
some
commercial
properties.
But
you
know
the
people
walk
into
our
doors.
Are
the
people
who
can't
even
get
it
together
to
take
advantage
of
OPA
and
all
these
other
things
that
perhaps
could
mitigate
their
taxes?
E
So
so
this
is
a
forward-looking
bill
on
this
forward-looking
bill
does
two
things:
one
is
to
permit
prospectively,
the
deferral
of
part
or
all
of
the
taxes
based
on
the
person's
situation,
and
that
the
bill
is
currently
written
is
requires
a
year-by-year
certificate,
a
recertification,
forward-looking
and
presumably,
if
the
house
has
ever
sold,
then
then
the
taxes
would
be
come
out
of
the
person
to
sell.
If
we
get
to
this
point,
and
if
there
are
changes,
we
would
suggest
we
mean
PLA
and
I.
E
But
that's
that's
another
discussion,
but
the
primary
thing
is
one
that
there's
this
forward-looking
thing
and
if
the
person's
circumstances
change,
then
the
amount
they
pay
could
go
up,
so
the
amount
of
deferral
could
go
down.
The
other
very,
very
important
piece
of
this
is
to
get
this
to
this.
Bill
creates
a
right
on
the
part
of
each
homeowner
to
assistance,
give
it
from
any
housing
counselor
or
an
attorney
early
in
the
process,
and
this
assistance
early
in
the
process
can
often
accomplish
what
councilman
new
councilman
Don
was
suggesting.
E
Getting
it
becoming
aware
of
these
alternatives,
where
there
might
be
some
money
and
taking
advantage
of
them
to
the
extent
possible.
One
of
the
problems
we
see
is
also
a
problem
which
we
haven't
been
able
resolved
yet
and
hopefully,
we'll
be
able
to
resolve
with
the
revenue
department.
And
that
is
the
way
the
revenue
department
collects
taxes
it
generally,
except
with
great
difficulty
when
it
accepts
taxes,
it
applies
them
to
the
oldest
taxes
that
are
due.
E
So
it's
very
difficult
to
get
the
revenue
department
to
take
a
payment,
even
a
partial
payment
that
could
be
applied
to
the
current
year's
taxes,
which
would
enable
the
homeowner
to
take
advantage
of
the
tax
that
the
state
tax
rebate
program
and
the
city
is
losing
out.
We
believe
on
hundreds
of
thousands,
if
not
millions,
of
dollars
of
potential
rebates
which
aren't
there,
because
the
homeowner
can't
show
they
paid
last
year's
taxes,
which
is
a
requirement
for
the
forgetting
the
rebate
and
there's
a
couple
of
solutions
we
want
for
that.
E
One
is
changes
to
the
collection
process
to
make
it
much
easier
for
money
to
be
applied
to
the
current
year,
taxes
so
that
it's
easier
to
get
the
rebate
and
also
the
possibility
of
a
city
program
which
could
front
money
to
the
homeowner
to
pay.
That
year's
taxes,
because
once
that
year
is
paid,
there's
a
homeowner
be
entitled
to
a
rebate
for
the
amount
that's
paid,
which
would
be
a
continuing
rebate,
which
every
year
would
would
essentially
be
a
transfer
from
the
state
to
the
city
on
account
of
transit.
F
D
F
F
Not
because
he
hasn't
been
able
to
pay
up
he's
paying
his
current
taxes
and
installments,
so
he
hasn't
paid
in
full.
What
a
rebate
program
that
Aaron's
describing
would
do
is
advance
him,
the
funds
so
that
he
was
his
taxes,
would
then
be
paid
in
full,
and
then
the
city
would
be
able
to
get
that
rebate
back
from
the
state.
Okay,.
G
D
Is
this
just
in
my
mind,
trying
to
figure
something
out?
Some
houses
might
have
mortgages
on
them.
So
take
an
example
of
a
hundred
thousand
dollar
home
with
an
$80,000
mortgage
and
the
city
does
a
full
deferral
program.
Is
that
lender
have
any
rights
or
they're
going
to
be
upset
with
us,
because
we're
pushing
their
position
on
the
property
higher
up
cuz
we're?
First,
we
come
before
the
mortgage
company.
Do
they
have
any
legal
action
against
us?
They.
E
Have
no
legal
action
I
can
see
against
the
city.
When
you
say
absolutely
no
city,
would
they
be
unhappy?
I
I
can't
speak
to
what
could
they
be
happy
or
not,
but
I
could
say
that
if,
if
the
process
was
one
in
way,
their
present
position
was
not
threatened
by
the
possibility
of
an
immediate
foreclosure
I,
don't
think
it
would
change
significantly
what's
happening
now.
I
could.
D
E
E
F
Counseled
councilmen
I
think
most
lenders
would
advance
the
funds
to
protect
their
interest.
They
would
want
themselves
to
be
in
first
position.
They
typically
most
mortgages
cover
that
funds,
and
then
we
have
to
deal
with
a
homeowner
who
comes
out
come
to
us
with
a
mortgage
foreclosure,
the
population
we're
talking
about
those
300
people
that
have
come
to
see
LS
those
people
by
and
large,
our
folks
who
the
mortgage
has
already
paid
off,
or
there
never
was
a
mortgage.
F
B
I
just
want
to
make
two
brief
points.
First
of
all,
thank
you
for
giving
me
the
opportunity
to
testify.
Yes,
as
you
know,
housing
counselors
are
key
to
the
success
of
the
ordinance,
so
we
respectfully
urge
you
to
appropriately
fund
this
program,
specifically
the
housing
counseling
opponent,
with
resources,
above
and
beyond
what
Philadelphia
can
derive
from
CDBG.
As
you
know,
a
current
administration
in
Washington
is
threatening
to
take
CDBG
at
zero.
B
Also,
as
you
saw
today,
issues
related
to
tangled
title
make
it
difficult
for
housing
councils
to
work
on
these
issues,
so
supporting
them
is
ever
more
important,
especially
in
hot
and
communities
where
these
type
of
tangle
title
issues
are
very
high
and
those
are
communities
where
foreign-born
residents
live
and
limited-english-proficient
populations
of
the
number
of
limited
English
Proficient
people
in
Philadelphia
is
increasing,
and
so
is
a
number
of
immigrants.
Its
economic
impact
of
immigrants
in
the
realm
of
housing
is
substantial.
You
want
to
tap
tap
tap
that
and
keep
it
alive.
B
Immigrants
occupy
about
80,000
of
the
more
than
600,000
owner-occupied
units
in
the
city,
50%
of
immigrants
in
the
city.
Are
we
living
in
owner-occupied,
housing
and
even
unauthorized
immigrants
are
doing
their
part
at
14,000
of
unauthorized
immigrants
in
the
city
live
in
a
home
they
own
according
to
the
migration
policy
institute,
so
we
are
excited
that
City
Council
is
working
on
this.
We
support
this
effort.
We
want
to
continue
to
work
with
the
city,
especially
as
it
ensures
that
LEP
populations
are
not
left
out
from
accessing
it.
Thank
you.
G
You,
madam
chair,
and
let
me
start
by
thanking
each
of
you
for
your
testimony.
First
or
one
I
want
to
go
to
your
testimony.
You
include
and
I.
Thank
you
so
much.
This
is
the
first
time
that
I've
seen
a
copy
of
it
since
the
council
president
first
'extra
buted
it
some
time
ago
and
I
appreciate
your,
including
a
copy
of
the
map
that
I
tech
staff
develop
shown
in
2016
property,
tax,
foreclosure,
filers
and
the
list
of
home
holders.
G
But
listen
to
this,
my
district
has
one
of
the
most
highest
home
ownership
rates
in
the
city
of
Philadelphia.
The
city's
average
is
52%.
The
ninth
is
about
60
to
61
percent
and
we
have
regions
that
have
up
to
77
to
78%
home
ownership
rate.
So
when
we
think
about
the
people
who
are
being
impacted,
I
hope
you
will
help
us
change
the
narrative.
So
folks
know
these
are
not
people
sitting
home
twiddling
their
thumbs
waiting
for
government
to
give
them
a
hand
down.
They
were
once
proudly
a
part
of
our
working
class.
G
G
You
don't
only
earn
the
same
amount
of
income
that
you
used
to
earn
and
now
you
can
barely
afford
the
care
for
what
was
your
greatest
asset
so
help
us
change
the
narrative
about
who's
being
impacted,
and
you
start
by
making
sure
you
distribute
this
map
wherever
you
go,
so
that
when
people
begin
to
say,
tax
foreclosures
reverse
mortgages
going
into
foreclosure.
This
only
impacts
for
people.
G
You
show
them
that
this
map
and
you
show
them
that
this
impacts
black
white
brown
people
and
neighborhoods
across
the
city
of
Philadelphia,
as
it
doesn't
discriminate
by
zip
code,
okay
Nicoll
over
the
income
guidelines,
so
they
usually
aren't
eligible
for
any
program
that
are
offering
and
now
they're
about
to
lose
their
greatest
asset.
Thank
you
and
thank
council
president
clark
with
leadership
on
this
issue.
Thank.
E
G
E
E
E
And
it
seems
to
me
that
the
Distilled
the
way
that
it's
fashioned
addresses
a
number
of
issues
in
actually
a
very
elegant
way,
because
it
really
encompasses
what
the
loop
program
was
trying
to
do,
and
a
number
of
other
programs.
By
allowing
there
to
be
a
a
deferral
of
some
or
all
of
the
taxes
based
on
a
person's
economic
circumstances.
E
Prospectively
and
if
properly
structured,
it
could
be
a
fairly
efficient
way
of
simply
addressing
those
needs
and
also
addressing
the
people
who
find
themselves
in
neighborhoods
that
are
increasing
in
value
or
gentrifying
or.
However,
you
want
to
call
it,
and
but
it
could
be
a
bill
that
could
very
much
allow
people
to
stay
in
those
neighborhoods
increase
the
diversity
of
those
neighborhoods
and
offset
some
of
the
tensions
that
we're
seeing
in
some
neighborhoods.
As
as
they
change
and.