Housing workshops aim to empower Kensington owners and renters

Kensington residents can stock up on housing policy knowledge this fall through an ongoing, first-of-its-kind workshop series hosted by the New Kensington Community Development Corporation.

In September, NKCDC launched the “People-First Housing” workshop series and exhibit in partnership with Philadelphia Community Land Trust, Reclaim Philadelphia, Green Building United, Women’s Community Revitalization Project, Philadelphia Coalition for Affordable Communities, and Philly Boricuas. 

The free series includes weekly workshops running through December 13th, covering a range of housing topics–from local organizing to statewide housing policy–focused on creating “affordable and accessible” housing. All workshops are held at the Kensington Engagement Center.

Lorissa Luciani, the executive director of the Women’s Community Revitalization project, said the series offers space for people to come together and share experiences and knowledge. 

“At a time when so many communities are facing displacement and rising housing costs, it’s vital to build understanding and collective strategies for change,” wrote Luciani in an email. “It’s about lifting up lived experience, building solidarity, and envisioning a city where everyone can thrive.”

NKCDC conceived the idea after launching Co-Creating Kensington – an initiative focused on developing a community-centered plan to revitalize Kensington – earlier this year, and quickly learned that housing was a top priority for residents, said Bill McKinney, NKCDC’s executive director. 

With the city’s recently-launched $2 billion housing initiative and a statewide affordable housing plan on the way, NKCDC and several partner organizations saw a timely opportunity to engage with community members around this issue. It started with the development of an exhibit at the Kensington Engagement Center on the history of housing in Philadelphia, then evolved into an idea for a workshop series. Both the exhibit and the series are centered on examining the past in order to move forward.

“We need to understand the history, what has taken place over time. We need to understand what the current status of housing is within the city,” he said.

While the workshops have a Kensington focus, McKinney said NKCDC is using the neighborhood as a “jumping off point” to have conversations about issues citywide. 

So far, sessions have covered gentrification, the city’s budgeting process, renter and homeowners’ legal rights, and housing “wins” like the Safe and Healthy Homes Act and the No Arena in Chinatown movement. McKinney said the turnout for the workshops has exceeded expectations, drawing dozens of participants with varied perspectives from across the city–from nearby residents who want a better understanding of housing issues, to developers who want to explore alternative methods for creating housing. 

The next workshop will be presented by The People’s Budget Office examining how the city budgets for housing and development, held on October 28th at 6pm.