Our Philadelphia real estate brokerage is in Fishtown, right next door to the Kensington neighborhood, so we’re well aware of the economic, crime, and housing-related struggles that the area has gone through (… and continues to go through). Unfortunately, Kensington is well known throughout Philadelphia as a place that people just don’t want to go. This negative image is not completely unfounded – every day there are reports of theft, burglary, drug use and other crime. Just driving through the area will show you abandoned houses, littered streets and other signs of poverty. The problem is that this negative image, however true it may be, has created a cycle that the neighborhood can’t escape. Because the area has become so unattractive, new residents don’t want to move in there, new businesses don’t want to open there, and the cycle of poverty and crime continues on. This affects the businesses there (those that remain), the crime rate there and, what we care most about, the people currently living there.
50 years ago, Kensington was full of textile mills, restaurants and small businesses; the employment rate was high. Today, well, we all know what the area has become.
I just came across one group in particular who are taking a proactive approach to turn it all around for Kensington
The Kensington Renewal Project
Kensington Renewal Promo from Jamie Moffett on Vimeo.
Their goal? “Turn blighted houses into owner-occupied homes in Philadelphia.” They’ve named the abandoned buildings in the neighborhood “Abandominiums.” They want to buy these abandoned buildings and sell them, ideally, to families who currently live in the neighborhood and who otherwise can’t afford to buy. They want to keep out “slumlords” and promote home ownership in the belief that this ownership creates closer-knitted communities. Closer communities encourage growth. As they write ontheir website, “home ownership rates have a direct correlation to both violent and non-violent crime statistics.”
While I’m generally pretty skeptical about the success rate of such endeavors, I of course support their effort. More positive focus on Kensington is always beneficial. This is a project worth keeping an eye on. At the very least, they are increasing awareness through their photography and film of just how horrible many living conditions in this area are.
For now, they are focusing their efforts on fundraising (Donate to Kensington Renewal Project Here). Later, they will be accepting volunteers for the physical work of rehabbing philadelphia properties. We will continue to track their progress for you.
