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Transparency for Homeowner Assistance Funds

Official:Amending Chapter 21-1600 of the Philadelphia Code entitled “Housing Trust Fund” to add a new Chapter requiring the Housing Trust Fund to submit an annual report to Council that details the geography of the revenue and disposition of funds in the Housing Trust Fund, under certain terms and conditions.

Sponsor: Councilmember Lozada

Introduced: October 30, 2025

: Committee on Appropriations

civil service finance housing

Plain-Language Summary

This bill requires the Housing Trust Fund to submit an annual report to City Council detailing how funds are distributed and allocated across Philadelphia's geography.

What This Bill Does

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Requires the Housing Trust Fund to submit an annual report to City Council by August 1 of each year, detailing the revenue and disposition of funds in the prior fiscal year.
The annual report must include a project list of payments made to the Housing Trust Fund in lieu of providing affordable housing, including the name of the party who made the payment, the total amount paid, the address of the project, and the Council District of the project.
The report must also include the aggregated dollar amount of contributions by Council District for the Housing Trust Fund's funded projects, programs, and services.
The report must detail the amount spent in each Council District on all projects, programs, and services funded by the Housing Trust Fund.

Both Sides

AI-written arguments. Every figure is checked against the bill text.

The case for

This bill promotes transparency and accountability in the Housing Trust Fund's financial operations, enabling City Council and the public to track how funds are being used to support affordable housing initiatives across the city. By requiring an annual report with detailed information on project payments and district-by-district funding breakdowns, this bill ensures that City Council and the public have a clear understanding of where their tax dollars are being invested. As a result, this bill benefits the entire community by increasing public trust and confidence in the Housing Trust Fund's management and budgeting decisions.

The case against

Municipal Bill 250948 represents an unwarranted expansion of the Housing Trust Fund's administrative burden, forcing the already overextended fund to divert significant resources towards compliance with new reporting requirements. The bill obliges the Housing Trust Fund to submit a lengthy, detailed report to City Council by an unyielding deadline, which will likely necessitate significant staff time and financial investments, placing an undue strain on the fund's operations. This increased administrative burden may ultimately detract from the fund's primary mission of providing affordable housing, rather than contributing to its success.

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