Middle Neighborhoods
One of my main priorities in Congress is putting America’s middle neighborhoods back on top. These communities are on the edge of growth and decline - they are areas that are doing just well enough. I know firsthand what is at stake for America’s Middle Neighborhoods. I grew up in North Philly and today I live in West Oak Lane just blocks away from Germantown High School, my alma mater. As your representative in Congress, I will continue to support policies that strengthen our neighborhoods, block by block.
In Philadelphia, over 40 percent of the population lives in middle neighborhoods. When talking about middle-income neighborhoods in Pennsylvania’s Third Congressional District, we are referring to Mt. Airy, Germantown, West Oak Lane, and Roxborough.
Please know that in Congress, I am fighting to bring resources and funding back to these underserved communities, ensuring they have the critical investments they need to thrive.
For additional information about my work for Middle Neighborhoods, read more below or contact my office here.
More on Middle Neighborhoods
Cities compete for people. Philadelphia is no different. According to researchers at The Reinvestment Fund in Philadelphia, approximately 48 percent of city residents, across the country, live in "middle neighborhoods." Middle neighborhoods are stable, working-class communities that generally lack outside investment, especially when compared with areas like Center City, Graduate Hospital or Northern Liberties.
Earlier this week, Congressman Dwight Evans (PA-02) took to the House Floor to speak about the City of Philadelphia's new Hub of Hope program, an initiative to address homelessness throughout the city.
With a 26% poverty rate, our city has the highest rate of poverty of the major U.S. cities, a dubious statistic which I stand determined to turn-around. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, more than 6,000 people are homeless in the City of Philadelphia and 15,000 people are homeless in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
This week, Congressman Dwight Evans (PA-02) joined with Congressman Tim Ryan (D-OH), Congressman Ryan Costello (R-PA), and Congressman Donald McEachin (D-VA) to introduce comprehensive legislation to incentivize food service providers such as grocers, retailers, and nonprofits to help eradicate food deserts.
This week, in response to the horrific tragedy that took place in Las Vegas, and the continuing scourge of gun violence in Philadelphia, Congressman Dwight Evans (PA-02) hand-delivered a letter to Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro outlining our Commonwealth's need to use all resources possible to advocate for common sense gun reform.
It's been a long time since Rep. Dwight Evans was a freshman.
After more than three decades in the Pennsylvania House of Representative, Evans came to Congress late last year after winning a special election.
Today, Congressman Dwight Evans (PA-02) was thrilled to announce that on behalf of the City Council of Philadelphia, Mayor Jim Kenney and Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell have introduced a resolution to express their support for School Modernization and School Rehabilitation through their resolution which shows their strong support for Congressman Evans' bill H.R. 922, the Rehabilitation of Historic Schools Act of 2017 and its companion legislation, Senate Bill 1156.
What do countries, states and neighborhoods have in common? People. They all compete for people.
Through people, you get innovators, investors, builders, developers, thinkers. Through people, you have the building blocks of your workforce.
Our neighborhoods rely on anchors like great schools, bustling shops and small businesses, and a competitive housing stock in order to attract homebuyers and increase long-term homeownership.