The PHLHousing+ program, a first of its kind in the nation, which gives no-strings-attached cash to struggling renters, is proving to be effective, writes Michaelle Bond for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The program was launched in the fall of 2022. Since then, Philadelphia has been giving cash to 301 households randomly selected from wait lists for public housing and federal subsidies at the Philadelphia Housing Authority. The program was scheduled to end in June, but it has been extended by a year following new findings about its success.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and staff at the Philadelphia Housing Development Corp., which partners with the city to administer the program, analyzed the first two years of the initiative. Their published report found that households that were receiving the cash were less likely to be evicted or become homeless, showing the program has been effective in keeping families housed.

PHDC is currently considering what the next stage of the program could look like, according to Rachel Mulbry, the organization’s director of policy and strategic initiatives and a coauthor of the report.

She said that the organization is “in a much stronger position now that we have results like these.”

Read more about the PHLHousing+ program and how it helps renters in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on PHILADELPHIA.Today in September 2025.