CatholicPhilly.com staff report • Posted November 12, 2020

A provider of affordable housing for senior adults in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will soon have a new tool for helping seniors to remain in their communities in safe, modern apartments.

Archdiocesan Catholic Housing and Community Services (CHCS), which provides a continuum of care to older adults throughout the Philadelphia region, lauded the new Pennsylvania Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program signed into law Nov. 3 by Gov. Tom Wolf.

The measure had passed the state Senate with bipartisan support Oct. 26.

CHCS “witnesses the profound need for affordable housing every day,” said Heather Huot, director of the archdiocesan agency. “No senior should have to wait years to access an affordable apartment. We applaud the Commonwealth for taking this important step toward increasing funding for this critical need.”

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Currently, construction of affordable housing for seniors in Pennsylvania is financed with a federal tax credit. Pennsylvania’s LIHTC will provide additional funding for the construction of affordable housing developments that provide families, children and seniors with the opportunity to enjoy a higher quality of life.

CHCS’ affordable senior housing programs enable seniors to remain active in their communities while enjoying comfortable, stylish apartment living. The agency’s communities in Philadelphia include Casa Carmen Aponte Apartments, Kensington; St. John Neumann Place I and II, South Philadelphia; Nativity B.V.M. Place, Port Richmond and St. Francis Villa, Kensington.

Development of more affordable housing units for independent seniors by CHCS is underway at St. Rita Place in South Philadelphia, expected to open in the fall of 2021.

And the planned St. Joseph Place in Collingdale, Delaware County, will represent the first senior housing community developed by CHCS outside the City of Philadelphia.