WHO:

Darrell L. Clarke, President and Representative for 5th District, Philadelphia City Council
Kevin Dow, Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Commerce Director, City of Philadelphia
Walt Kubiak, CEO, Mission First Housing Group
Holly Glauser, Director of Development, Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA)
Ali Solis, SVP, Enterprise Community Partners
Tom Houlihan, VP, Community Development Finance, Capital One

WHAT:

Grand Reopening of MPB School Apartments, a nationally registered historical landmark which underwent substantial green renovations, and has been preserved as affordable housing, helping to revitalize the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood in North Philadelphia

WHERE:

2811 West Sedgley Avenue in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood of North Philadelphia

WHEN:

October 30 from 1 to 3 pm; Property tours to follow ceremony

MPB School Apartments was originally a parochial school built in 1908 in the Italian Renaissance style on The Most Precious Blood Roman Catholic parish campus, one of the principal architectural and social landmarks of North Philadelphia. The entire campus was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1992.

Mission First Housing Group acquired MPB School in 2008 and secured the financing in 2012 to capitalize and rehabilitate the property. Capital One made a Low Income Housing Tax Credit (housing credit) equity investment through Enterprise Community Investment, Inc., making the deal possible and preserving a critical affordable housing resource for Philadelphia. PHFA allocated the housing credits.

The rehabilitated property meets Enterprise Green Communities Criteria, the first national framework for creating and preserving green affordable housing, and part of Enterprise’s Call to Action to green all affordable housing by 2020.

Mission First Housing Group is a nonprofit organization with a mission to develop and manage affordable, safe and sustainable homes for people in need, with a focus on the vulnerable. We ensure our residents have access to resources to help them live independently. We deliver housing that provides long-term benefits to residents and neighborhoods alike. Mission First was founded in Philadelphia in 1988 as a joint venture between the City of Philadelphia, HUD and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (at the time, Mission First was known as 1260 Housing Development Corporation). Its original purpose was to provide for the housing needs of adults living with chronic mental illness.

Over time Mission First developed an effective model for providing housing and services to a vulnerable population. Mission First sought to take its model to new geographies, serving others in need. Mission First’s footprint is now the Mid-Atlantic region, and its residents include a diverse mix of low-income individuals and families, including seniors, veterans, the homeless, and individuals with special needs. Mission First currently provides safe, affordable, sustainable homes to nearly 3,000 people in over 2,500 units.

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