Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
The call that changed Analicia Hernandez\u2019s life came from an unexpected place \u2014 the local nonprofit that runs the Norris Square preschool her daughters attended.<\/p>\n
Xiente was developing 10 new single-family rental homes for low-income families right in the neighborhood, and the nonprofit would help tenants pay the rent. Would she be interested in living in one of the properties?<\/p>\n
Hernandez, who was staying with family, jumped at the chance for her own home.<\/p>\n
In November 2024, Hernandez, 26, moved with her two daughters \u2014 now in kindergarten and first grade \u2014 into a two-bedroom house painted bright pink. The property was part of the first phase of Xiente\u2019s Mi Casa initiative, which aims to keep longtime residents of the Norris Square area from getting priced out as home costs continue to rise, said Michelle Carrera Morales, chief executive officer of Xiente<\/a>, formerly known as Norris Square Community Alliance.<\/p>\n \u201cOur neighborhood is becoming heavily gentrified,\u201d Carrera Morales said. \u201cThe need for really and truly affordable [homes] is immense.\u201d<\/p>\n Xiente is now developing 20 more subsidized rental homes for Mi Casa\u2019s second phase, starting with remodeling six Philadelphia Housing Authority<\/a> properties and then building 14 new units. The nonprofit expects to finish in early 2027.<\/p>\n Mi Casa is a \u201chousing stability initiative\u201d that provides safe and dignified homes, Carrera Morales said. It\u2019s \u201cmeant to serve as a bridge\u201d to homeownership, the ultimate goal for Mi Casa clients, and help boost low-income families into the middle class. Mi Casa renters can stay in their homes for up to five years.<\/p>\n All the nonprofit\u2019s renters work with what Xiente calls economic mobility counselors. These counselors connect clients with resources, teach them how to manage their money, and guide them as they work to improve their financial standing.<\/p>\n The nonprofit also has been giving monthly payments of $500 to Hernandez and the other renters in Mi Casa\u2019s first phase as part of an 18-month guaranteed income initiative. The renters can spend the money however they want.<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Philly\u2019s first-in-the-nation experiment giving cash to struggling renters is working, researchers say<\/a><\/p>\n Mi Casa\u2019s second phase is funded by $1.5 million from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh<\/a> and an additional $650,000 from the Leo & Peggy Pierce Family Foundation<\/a>, the Barra Foundation<\/a>, and the Homeless Assistance Fund<\/a>.<\/p>\n By the end of the decade, Xiente plans to develop a total of at least 100 single-family rental homes for low-income families in the 7th Council District, which includes Norris Square, Kensington<\/a>, Juniata Park<\/a>, and Frankford<\/a>.<\/p>\n City Councilmember Quetcy Lozada<\/a> said that neighborhoods in her district have \u201cseen a lot of displacement as a result of some of the projects that have been developed.\u201d She commended Xiente for directly responding to residents\u2019 needs and coaching people to become \u201clong-term homeowners.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t wait to see more of it,\u201d Lozada said. \u201cAnd I encourage other [community development corporations] and developers to think about this outside-of-the-box type of model for people and neighborhoods.\u201d<\/p>\n Moving residents up and out<\/p>\n An economic mobility counselor has helped Hernandez, who works as a home health aide, improve her credit score and learn to manage her finances. The counselor is now helping Hernandez work toward a higher-paying career as an emergency medical technician.<\/p>\n The subsidized housing along with the financial services \u201chelp you save and get on your feet,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201cNow I\u2019ve reached that goal where I can put my money into the savings and not touch it.\u201d<\/p>\n Her counselor, Jamika Rodriguez, develops personalized plans for each of her clients. She helps them pay off debt and build their savings to work toward homeownership and other goals. She gets children into afterschool programs and activities and helps adults finish their education. She assists clients in starting businesses.<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: In Philly, childcare for two kids costs more than rent \u2014 and both are getting more expensive<\/a><\/p>\n A big piece of what Xiente calls its Prosperity Project<\/a> is working to break cycles of intergenerational poverty.<\/p>\n Rodriguez said she regularly asks clients, \u201cWhere do you see yourself in five years? What is your goal if you didn\u2019t have \u2026 obstacles in your way? What would your perfect life be?\u201d<\/p>\n And then she helps them work to meet immediate needs, overcome barriers, and achieve the life they want. For example, if a parent is a child\u2019s only caregiver, which makes working difficult, Rodriguez first finds safe and affordable childcare<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re a strong believer that your net worth is your network,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The rental homes<\/p>\n The 20 homes in Mi Casa\u2019s second phase will come with federal housing vouchers that will pay part of the rent for tenants. These units will be offered to households making at or below 50% of the area median income, which is $53,750 for a household of three.<\/p>\n Five of the units from the Philadelphia Housing Authority that will be renovated have four bedrooms and one bathroom, and the sixth has five bedrooms and 1\u00bd bathrooms.<\/p>\n