The Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) is planning sweeping layoffs that will affect almost 300 of the agency’s 1,200 employees, beginning in January 2026. The cutbacks are the result of dramatic changes in how PHA, which provides affordable housing to thousands of families across the city, does maintenance and repair work. Instead of directly employing union electricians, carpenters and other workers, the agency will contract out for those jobs as needed. “This is a housing program, it is not a jobs program,” said Kelvin Jeremiah, the president and CEO of PHA. Jeremiah estimates that by almost halving 620-employee maintenance staff, PHA will see a cost savings of $24 million annually. The cutbacks come amid an aggressive $6.3 billion plan unveiled earlier this year, through which the agency hopes to expand its housing portfolio by 7,000 units while rehabbing the 13,000 units it already owns.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 11/19/2025