Philadelphia’s Untapped Solution to Homelessness and Urban Blight: Invest in Skilled Unhoused Labor to Reclaim Abandoned Properties

Philadelphia faces two interlocking crises:

• •Over 12,000 abandoned and blighted properties, many of which sit vacant for years, posing safety risks, draining neighborhood morale, and attracting illegal dumping or crime.
• •Thousands of unhoused individuals—many of whom possess extensive professional experience in skilled trades such as electrical work, plumbing, carpentry, masonry, HVAC, roofing, landscaping, and general contracting.

Despite widespread assumptions, homelessness is not synonymous with lack of ability. In fact, many individuals currently living in shelters, tents, or transitional housing have worked for decades in construction, building maintenance, renovation, and infrastructure development. They built this city—literally. And yet, they are often locked out of opportunity due to bureaucratic barriers, gaps in support, and the stigma of housing insecurity.

This is not just a tragedy. It is a missed opportunity.

Proposal: A Workforce-Housing Pipeline That Benefits Everyone

Philadelphia should pilot and scale a City-supported, union-partnered initiative that connects skilled, unhoused workers to the restoration of vacant properties—with the explicit goal of turning these sites into permanent housing for those doing the labor.

This initiative could operate under the following framework:

1. Property Identification and Allocation

The Philadelphia Land Bank and Department of Planning and Development can release a prioritized inventory of abandoned homes and lots suitable for rehabilitation. Properties in areas with high blight and high homelessness rates should be prioritized for community reinvestment, not private speculation.

2. Skilled Labor Recruitment from the Unhoused Population

Through partnerships with shelter providers, advocacy organizations, and outreach teams, the City can identify unhoused individuals with experience in relevant trades. Participation should not be contingent on sobriety or documentation status—only a willingness to work and an ability to safely contribute to the restoration process.

3. Workforce Development and Apprenticeship Integration

Participants would be offered stipends during training and matched with certified contractors, trade unions, and vocational programs. This model not only produces housing but also reestablishes career pathways for people long excluded from formal employment systems.

4. Permanent Housing Placement

Once a property is restored, it becomes housing-first placement for those who helped rebuild it. These units would be protected from resale or speculative flipping, with long-term affordability guaranteed and future equity pathways explored through community land trusts or co-op models.

5. Wraparound Support Services

Participants would have access to trauma-informed care, behavioral health support, case management, childcare services, and legal assistance to ensure that their transition into stable housing is sustainable and holistic.

Why This Approach Makes Economic, Social, and Moral Sense

This is not a theoretical exercise. It is a practical, data-supported solution with national precedents. Cities like Detroit, Houston, and San Francisco have all experimented with property reclamation and workforce reintegration with promising results. Philadelphia—given its scale of vacancy and depth of need—could lead the nation by designing a model that is both anti-poverty and pro-labor, rooted in justice and mutual benefit.

The question is no longer can it be done? The question is will our leadership choose to invest in people instead of punishing poverty?

We already have the buildings. We already have the skilled labor. What we need is the political will to connect the two—and restore both dignity and infrastructure through one bold, compassionate strategy.