ULI Philadelphia is recruiting 8-10 members to serve on a two-day Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) that will provide Drueding Center recommendations on creating new units of permanent supportive housing and/or affordable housing from existing real estate assets.  

Drueding Center was founded in 1987 by the Sisters of the Redeemer to address the most urgent need they could identify within the City of Philadelphia – assisting homeless mothers with young children and were the first transitional housing program in Philadelphia. Their mission is “to care, comfort, and heal, following the example of Jesus, proclaiming the hope God offers in the midst of human struggle.” Their program vision, based on their Theory of Change, is that families experiencing homelessness will build the skills to heal from trauma, restore hope and end the cycle of homelessness through a trauma informed and housing first approach. 

To continue to effectively meet the needs of the families it serves, the Drueding Center Board of Directors and management team initiated a new strategic planning process in the summer of 2021 and in parallel was the formation of a capital planning workgroup. This work resulted in three strategic imperatives with one focusing on the future use of their real estate assets:  

• Strategic Imperative 1: Focus on Mission/Vision – Heal Trauma, Restore Hope, End Homelessness  
  • Initiative 1-A: Improve and modify on campus transitional housing units to improve the resident experience and to ensure that they are easily convertible to permanent supportive housing when/if expected changes in funding priorities and community need occur.
  • Initiative 1-B: Explore the potential for developing additional units of permanent supportive and/or affordable housing.

Drueding Center owns both properties that were considered throughout this process. The Residential Building (43,115 square feet) located at 413 W. Master Street and the Community Center (26,323 square feet) located at 1328 N. 4th Street with a footprint that runs to Lawrence Street.  

This TAP will be sponsored by Drueding Center and supported with grant funding through the ULI Homeless to Housed (H2H) Initiative. Its results will be part of a national body of work through the H2H Cohort of five district councils.  

Questions for the Panel

1. If Drueding Center were to convert our existing transitional housing units to permanent supportive housing what funding is available to cover operating and services moving forward?
2. What funding is available to fund the potential renovations to the Residential Building?
3. Should Drueding Center consider “building new” on the Community Services site as opposed to renovating the existing Residential building and then determining what to do with that building?
4. What funding is available if Drueding Center were to consider developing the Community Services building for either supportive housing or affordable housing? (Part 2 – if we were to consider affordable housing how could we identify a partner to manage that housing?)  

Professional expertise needed from panelists:

• Experience with the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program 
• Experience with Pennsylvania affordable housing programs 
• Additional Public & Private financing options 
• Public Policy, zoning, and legal 
• Affordable housing development 
• Multi-family housing development 
• Adaptive reuse 
•  Design/construction
• Community development and engagement 

Panelist Expectations:

• Be available for two full days on March 27 and 28, 2024
• Review extensive briefing materials prior to convening
• Join briefing meeting and site tour one to two weeks prior to convening
• Actively participate in stakeholder interviews, recommendation generation, and findings presentation
• Adhere to ULI Conflict of Interest policy and Code of Ethics

Important Dates:

• Panelist Application Deadline: January 26, 2024
• TAP Dates: March 27 & 28, 2024

More info: 

• Learn more about ULI Philadelphia’s TAP program here. 
• ULI Philadelphia is offering two TAP opportunities under the Homeless to Housed Initiative. More information about the Families Forward TAP can be found here.
• Questions about this opportunity? Please contact Christina Chavez, Manager, ULI Philadelphia at [email protected].