Housing Equity, Repair, and Electrification for Climate Justice

Who We Are

The HERE 4 Climate Justice coalition brings together community organizations, home repair providers, workforce and community development partners, and climate justice groups across Philadelphia to fight for safe, healthy, affordable, fossil-free housing for all.

The climate and the housing crises are interconnected, and we need solutions that address both at the same time. We seek to overcome racial and economic exclusion by prioritizing the communities most burdened by air and water pollution, severe weather, home disrepair, and the affordable housing shortage. We demand large-scale public investment in programs to repair, weatherize, and electrify hundreds of thousands of homes across Philly, along with policies to ensure affordability for working class tenants and homeowners.

Learn More About Us

How are the housing and climate crises connected in Philadelphia?

Philadelphia’s households are among the most rent-burdened and energy-burdened in the country. With some of the nation’s oldest housing stock, too many Philadelphia homes have fallen into deep disrepair, contributing to poor public health (asthma, lead and asbestos exposure, and other respiratory issues) and high energy use that’s expensive and derived mostly from the burning of fossil-fuels. This means less money for residents at the end of the month and a hotter planet for all.

Fast Facts

Roughly 70% of Philadelphia’s carbon emissions come from buildings with 31% coming directly from the houses we live in. These emissions can be greatly reduced if homes are repaired and weatherized.

Source: City of Philadelphia
Homes in disrepair contribute significantly to respiratory diseases, lead and asbestos poisoning, and overall poor health outcomes with 1 in 4 Philadelphia children suffering from asthma due to poor indoor air quality.

Source: Libert Pub
According to 2020 data, 26% of Philadelphia households (609,507) have a high energy burden and a further 14% (332,798) are considered severely energy burdened spending an average of 23% of their income on utilities. This means less money at the end of the month to make ends meet.

Source: ACEEE, 2020

What We're Working On

Resources

Our Impact

We seek to overcome racial and economic exclusion by prioritizing the communities most burdened by air and water pollution, severe weather, home disrepair, and the affordable housing shortage. We demand large-scale public investment in programs to repair, weatherize, and electrify hundreds of thousands of homes across Philly, along with policies to ensure affordability for working class tenants and homeowners.