This week, we took a little trip over the bridge (the Betsy, my favorite bridge) to New Jersey, the Garden State. Waking up at 7 AM on a Saturday is never easy, but the reward of bagels always makes it so much easier. Originally, we had planned to embark on a trip into Philly to review a place in the city, but Claire convinced me to drive to my home state for the bagels of my childhood. Always a good call.
Bagelati is a relatively new place, opening a few years ago. However, it does have the same owner as my bagel place as a child, so the taste is largely nostalgic for me. Although we said we were changing up our review style and getting one sandwich and one with cream cheese, neither of us could resist the draw that a bagel sandwich just seems to have. Naturally, Claire ordered a sausage, egg, and cheese on a poppy bagel, while I ordered a bacon, egg, and cheese on an everything bagel. These bagels and the respective sandwiches were “scrum-diddly-umptious,” so said Claire.
The bagels themselves were perfectly sized, warm, crispy but airy; an almost perfect bagel. The only things we would change would be to add some more filling on the sandwich, as well as seed the bagels just a tad more. Overall, we would rate this place a 4.25/5, our BEST rating yet.
Catch us next week when we’re back in Pennsylvania at Fill A Bagel in Jenkintown. Go Phils!
La Salle University offers many resources for career skill building and tries to position its students to be ready to enter the job field of their choice. One program strives to connect students with alumni or other professionals in the student’s field and gives them an opportunity to “shadow” professionals during a typical day of their work. Previous job shadow employers host partner companies, including the Eagles, Comcast, the Phillies, CBS, Penn Medicine, and more.
The Explorer Shadow Program takes place over winter break or a mutually convenient date for both the student and the host by Feb. 28th, 2023. Students get to network with professionals in their host’s workplace for a day, as well as observe, participate, and learn about the industry, the host’s role, and the organization. They receive a behind-the-scenes look at what professionals in their field do and where they work by “shadowing” the host through a typical day’s activities. The day might include touring the office or place of business, meeting other staff members who work in distinct roles at the company, observing meetings, and working on small projects. A job shadow is also an ideal time to ask questions or get expertise and career advice.
Offered since the 2017-2018 school year, the program has served 260 students with Job Shadow matches. All students are eligible to take part in the Explorer Shadow Program at La Salle University. The Career Center recommends this program for students who are undecided about their career goals to explore options, students who are clarifying different options they are interested in, and students who know what field they want to go into and are ready to jump in. Students can participate in multiple sessions by reapplying and completing orientation each year. Students are expected to supply their own transportation to the job shadow site. The host of their organization will cover the cost of lunch.
The Student Program Contact, Noelle Stueck, believes this program can benefit any student at La Salle in a multitude of ways: “Explore a career field of interest, without the commitment of an internship, gain first-hand knowledge of a real work environment and on-the-job etiquette. Uncover opportunities for future careers. Connect directly with your host (an alumnus and/or other professional), who can serve as an excellent resource for career, job, and internship advice.”
Noelle recommends that students “come prepared with questions about the job, career field, the company, etc. in order to get the full experience of what the host does behind the scenes on a day-to-day basis.” She also highlights the importance of being able to enroll in the program each year: “Students have been able to see if the career they are interested in is the right path for them or create a contact and mentor from alumni to engage with about their future career path.” She adds that “the more involvement and growth this program has, the more likely it can expand into an every semester program where students can have multiple shadow experiences a year. It is an easy opportunity to gain experience in your field of interest and to continue building your resume.”
The application for the program is included on their online Canvas course. Students can enroll in the Explorer Shadow Program Canvas course at https://lasalle.instructure.com/enroll/MGLEN6. Complete the first two modules of the Explorer Shadow Program Canvas course, including the application and orientation, by Oct. 14th, 2022. Students looking for more information can email the Student Program Contact, Noelle Stueck at stueck@lasalle.edu or the Program’s general email, shadow@lasalle.edu. Students can also stay updated on the program’s social media pages @lasalleuesp on Instagram and Facebook. More information can also be found on the La Salle University website at https://www.lasalle.edu/student-life/career-center/current-students-2/explorer-shadow-program/
Welcome back to Bagel Reviews with Luke and Claire! Today, we’ll be reviewing Paulines! But actually, only Claire will be reviewing Pauline’s, as she got a bagel, I did not.
As always, she ordered a sausage egg and cheese on a plain bagel. They don’t have poppy bagels, a strike against them. She really enjoyed it! We always enjoy Pauline’s. Although I didn’t order a bagel, and therefore my review doesn’t matter for this place, the Breakfast Crunchwrap was incredible. My personal favorite on the menu, and what I would recommend to anyone.
Although this is a shorter review, that does not mean we hated it. We love Pauline’s, everyone does. Overall, a rating of 3/5 Gritty’s would be the verdict, and its locality to La Salle makes it the most popular spot for student’s to get their breakfast sandwich fix on Saturday mornings.
La Salle University’s well-renowned Nonprofit Center is a hidden gem amongst the students at La Salle. Despite being a beacon in the professional world of nonprofits in the Greater Philadelphia area and beyond since 1981, the students at La Salle know little about the Nonprofit Center, its offerings, and discounted rates for students.
According to their website, the mission of the Nonprofit Center at La Salle University is “to build the capacity of the nonprofit sector.” While their primary focus has been the Greater Philadelphia region, they have a reputation in nonprofits throughout the country.
The Nonprofit Center strives to enhance the “management, operations, and governance of nonprofit organization” through services including educational programs, consulting, leadership development and information sharing, with “the ultimate goal of enabling nonprofits to meet fully the needs of their communities.”
In accordance with their mission, the Nonprofit Center offers educational courses and certification programs. These certification programs include a certificate in Nonprofit Management and a certificate in Fundraising. Professionals can receive discounted certificate package prices by becoming a member of the Nonprofit Center. Undergraduate and graduate students receive a larger discounted rate on courses and certification programs.
The Nonprofit Center’s web page on the Certificate in Nonprofit Management says it “provides…a diverse and well-balanced knowledge of nonprofit administration and operation.” The broad curriculum looks at the entire nonprofit ecosystem as a whole and in its individual components including board development, communications, financial management, fundraising, human resources, supervision, program evaluation, and strategic planning. The certification program aims to prepare “the leaders of our region’s nonprofit sector to be strategic, efficient and effective,” as stated on their webpage.
They are offering the certificate in their traditional format (ten, full-day, in-person*, week day classes), as well as the option of online classes, both as a full-day and as evening sessions during the 2022-23 session. Participants can pick and choose from these options to complete the certificate over 5 months, 8 months or the 3 years given to attend all the classes. The center will also continue their partnership with Bucks County Community College, who will offer classes in a full-day and in-person option. The Nonprofit Center recommends this program to new executive directors, senior management on the leadership track, or anyone in the nonprofit sector looking to refresh their skills.
The Nonprofit Center’s website describes the Certificate in Fundraising as being designed for anyone who wants to advance in the field of fundraising, even if they have no formal training in fundraising, but seek instruction in the basic skills and methods of resource development.
The courses in this certificate provide a “foundation in the critical fundamentals of fundraising” and a continuation of “skills development in all the key areas of resource development.” The Nonprofit Center webpage on the Certificate in Fundraising says the program also gives participants a “strong grounding in the concepts, trends and practices that guide successful and ethical fundraising.”
The courses needed to complete the program look at the importance of a strong mission, program strategy, management practices, and board and staff leadership in the more introductory classes, while the advanced courses focus on the major fundraising vehicles, where participants gain practical knowledge that will enable them to design and execute each activity.
The Nonprofit Center recommends this certificate program to executive directors and board members looking to “gain increased confidence and knowledge to support their essential roles as fundraisers for their causes”. The 2022-23 session of the Certificate of Fundraising is offered fully online.
While directed at professionals working in the nonprofit sector, with discounts for those who become members of the Nonprofit Center, the courses and certifications are available to undergraduate and graduate students at discounted rates as well.
The cost per course for undergraduate students is $20, and when paid for as a package, $200. They discounted the programs for graduate students as well, 50% off their member rate, costing $77.50 per course, $775 as a package. This compares greatly to $1,850, the total cost of the courses needed to complete a certification program for a non-member, as well as $1,395, the discounted rate for members, or even the program package rate, when the price for members drops to $1,188. Undergraduate and graduate students at La Salle can take advantage of these discounted rates and receive Certificates in Nonprofit Management or Fundraising while getting their degree.
Welcome back to Bagel Reviews with Claire and Luke. This week, we took a trip just outside of city limits to the ‘burbs. Our bagel quest took us to Horsham. Just wanna give a quick shoutout to Joanna, weekly reader, and my sister, for treating us to the bagels.
This new spot, Bagels and Bread House, was a quaint little spot with such a cool vibe. We really enjoyed it. The everything bagel in particular was quite nice, and a little different than usual. Most everything bagels don’t include salt, this one did. I liked that a lot. I wish they had seasoned the bagels a bit more though. I, of course, got a bacon egg and cheese on an everything bagel. Claire got a sausage egg and cheese on a poppy bagel, as usual. The filling of the sandwich was quite nice compared to others we’ve reviewed, but the bagel itself could have been just a little bit more seeded. Overall, we’re gonna give it a 3.75/5 Gritty’s. Comparing it to Trops, we enjoyed the filling here more, as well as the choices of bagels. Our best review yet!
Tune in next week for our review of La Salle’s local breakfast place and fan favorite, Pauline’s Deli.
This week, Claire and I got bagels at the place closest to home: the Dining Hall. During Breakfast for Dinner Week, we were blessed with a night of build-your-own breakfast sandwiches, and we couldn’t turn it down. It was practically BEGGING us to review. It derailed our original plans for the upcoming weekend, a trip to Pauline’s which will be reviewed soon!
Now, keep in mind we only rate things in terms of Gritty’s, the wackiest Philadelphia mascot. Our choices were bacon AND sausage (big points from Claire), eggs, and a few different cheeses that I don’t remember the name of. Anyway, I chose a bacon, egg, and cheese, OBVIOUSLY. They only had plain bagels though. SO sad. Claire got a sausage, egg, and cheese, and she loved it. We both added some maple syrup to the bagel, which is an homage to her favorite bagel place, which sadly is outside of the Greater Philadelphia Area, and won’t be reviewed (yet!). An honest review, from Luke, a 2 out of 5. The bagel itself was nothing to write about, but the filling was honestly delish, better than I expected. Claire gave it a 2.5! out of 5. She was ecstatic about the addition of sausage to the menu, and that bumped up the score for her. Overall, we’d rate it a 2.25/5 Gritties. Tune in next week for our review on Bagel and Bread House in Horsham, PA.
On Thursday Sept. 14, La Salle’s National Society of Leadership and Success had their Orientation night for new members. For those who haven’t heard of NSLS, it is a national chapter playing host to 1,675,341 members across 771 chapters. La Salle’s chapter was created in June of 2021 by Azaria Soto, Dr. Elizabeth Schroeder, and Dr. Patrick Coyle. The chapter vision is simple but one that shows what is to gain from becoming a member. “Our vision is to help members achieve personal growth, cultivate lasting relationships, and obtain career success”. At their orientation the organization was able to welcome 13 new members to add to their 493 total.
NSLS helps provide students with the opportunity to gain excellent experience from a career and personal development standpoint. Not only do students get to network and meet new people at the beginning of their professional careers, but they can also get involved to develop habits that will transfer over into the real world. There are many executive board positions that allow students to run meetings, plan events, and create a plan for growing the organization throughout the year. This is not limited to just one major either. It is open to anyone who wants to join and grow and develop transferable leadership skills. There will be one more orientation night for any students that either missed the first or are interested in joining. The date for the make-up session is Monday Sept. 19. Anyone who may be interested in this should attend this session to learn more about NSLS and begin the process of joining the organization.
In a new series for the Collegian, Claire and I look to peruse and rank the BEST bagel places in the Greater Philadelphia Area. Why bagels do you ask? I just really enjoy bagels. Top tier breakfast food.
Today, we visited Philly Style Bagels in Fishtown. A measly 45-minute train commute to Fishtown brought us to this small hole in the wall bagel place. Now, keep in mind I only rate things in terms of Gritties, the wackiest Philadelphia mascot. Back to bagels. As always, I ordered a bacon, egg, and cheese on a toasted everything bagel. Simply my favorite. Claire, begrudgingly, also ordered a bacon, egg, and cheese, due to it being the only type of breakfast sandwich on the menu. MAJOR red flag.
The first thing we noticed about these bagels was the size of them, and not in a good way. These had to be the smallest bagels in the history of bagels. They were nice and doughy though, with a nice crust. Props for that. The next issue that arose was the filling of the breakfast sandwich. An exact quote describing it:
“You know the square scrambled eggs you would get at a high school cafeteria?”-Claire
Lots of issues with this bagel place. Not much to rank positively in this list, but it did just enough to avoid the bottom of the barrel ranking. We would give it 2/5 Gritties.
Shayna Mercier, class of ‘22, studied full time in La Salle’s psychology program. After joining the nursing department during her sophomore year, she began to find another passion leading her towards psychology. This is her story of her life, obstacles she overcame and the path that La Salle University offered her to catapult her into the next chapter of her life.
Mercier was born in Miami, Florida, the middle child of eight siblings. After conflict between her parents arose, her father left when she was eight years old. When Mercier was around 11 years old, her mother then moved to Philadelphia taking her and two of her siblings with her. She was going through family dysfunction and began to deal with trauma and harassment from her mother. Mercier said her mom would tell her things like “Your dad left us because of you.” She said those moments caused her to shut down. “I didn’t have a voice, and even now in relationships with friends, significant partners etc. I still struggle with this,” said Mercier.
“Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning.”
– Maya Angelou
La Salle University stood out to Mercier when applying to colleges because of her getting a scholarship, as well as the colorful, serene atmosphere on campus. Mercier shared that she was once a “troubled” kid that needed support and wants to be that support system for future and present children and adolescents who find their voices unheard and are getting into trouble because an environment of chaos and violence is all they know. Mercier has that experience with lashing out, and after shoplifting and getting arrested as a juvenile, she realized that’s not the path she wanted to go down. She wants to give back to those who are stuck in situations similar to her’s and help those in need using what she learned here at La Salle.
Now, a senior in psychology, she has surpassed multiple obstacles and has made a difference in her own life and is on a path to change others’. Her nieces and nephews are her inspiration for wanting to become a child psychologist or work in speech pathology. What also inspired her was negativity from outsiders, and her wanting to prove their narratives wrong.
Graduating will be one of many great accomplishments for Mercier and her family. It has shown her strength, willingness, tenacity and grace to continue on through life and overcome those trials and tribulations that she came across. “I want to be a speech pathologist to help those in need who can’t express themselves and feel that their voice is unheard,” Mercier added.
She has inspired her siblings and friends and hopes that one day her story will touch the children that she’ll work with and help to propel her legacy. “I want to be a boss lady who devotes her life to better other people’s lives, even those who have hurt me,” Mercier said. She ultimately overcame her family struggles, and communicating with her mother is more positive now.
Mercier is now excited to walk across the stage with her diploma on Saturday. “It would have been easy to give up, and to give in to everything around, but I knew I had to continue to go forward and now I made it,” Mercier said. Mercier is a doer, and she has shown people that through hard times comes motivation and that troubles don’t last always. She has truly been a light, and her strength and resilience have bolstered her into a world full of possibilities and her future endeavors will create more success in a world that has many rooms to fill.
The Germantown community looks to redevelopment with equal parts apprehension and optimism
Jakob Eiseman, Editor-in-Chief
Header Image: Image courtesy of Jakob Eiseman These modern apartments on Queen Lane sit where an affordable housing high rise once stood. The rent for the townhouses on the right is a minimum of 30 percent of a tenant’s monthly income even after receiving a Philadelphia HUD Rental Assistance grant.
In 2013, seven cities in the United States accounted for half of the nation’s gentrification. Philadelphia, which was listed as the fourth most gentrified city, has not changed dramatically in the last eight years. According to 2019 census data, between 85 and 88 percent of low-income households were cost-burdened prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning they contributed at least 30 percent of their annual income toward rent or housing expenses, which is only one percent lower than a similar study conducted six years prior. Housing costs have gone up and income levels have dropped lower since the pandemic, and while the city is experimenting with plans to alleviate this burden, the financial situation still persists.
Citizens of Germantown, a historic neighborhood in Philadelphia’s Northwest region, are no exception. One fourth of all Germantown households contribute 35 percent or more of their monthly income toward housing costs according to the 2019 Census American Community Survey, the most recent data on the subject. While the economic effects of gentrification can be unavoidable in low-income neighborhoods, gentrification also changes and dilutes the culture of neighborhoods by bringing in people who do not respect the traditions or local businesses. Germantown has experienced these cultural trends greatly in the last decade.
Infographic showing the rise in median household income in Germantown and surrounding neighborhoods.
Largely, gentrification is caused by wealthier individuals or groups of people who purchase land in areas with a low property value to further grow their income. These wealthy “investors” tend to go into adverse neighborhoods, buy up store fronts, buildings and houses among other properties under the guise of bringing in better opportunities for the neighborhood. In reality, this often forces people who live in these neighborhoods out of their homes and jobs as houses and businesses are bought up, property taxes rise and the cost of living and shopping locally increases. As families are displaced, the history that they, and their neighbors, carried with them leaves the neighborhood, often erasing cultural landmarks that once held sentimental value such as parks, schools or churches.
There are several organizations that are giving people from Germantown and its surrounding areas a chance to become developers, moving into the community to build it up on their terms. Some members of the community endorse this as it is allowing them to redevelop and clear up some of its blight or deteriorated properties, but others deny that this is helpful and claim the bottom line is that new developments are rarely affordable for Germantowners and almost exclusively welcome outsiders with a higher budget into the area.
Other community efforts have started, but require large numbers or consistent, long term effort from local non-profits — many of which simply do not have the time or manpower to succeed. The city of Philadelphia has also implemented some programs to help those suffering from the effects of Gentrification, but community members and developers alike often agree that these programs only act as a temporary bandage for the deep cuts of displacement and cultural deterioration.
Beyond just physical and cultural displacement, gentrification can also lead to increases in crime and homelessess as people are forced into worse living situations or take to the streets to pay their increasingly larger bills. Working with all of these problems in mind, there is a select group of community minded individuals who are actively working to keep Germantown’s culture, connection, style and most avidly, affordability and livability the same as they have been for decades through community meetings, non-profit and economic solutions, and staying aware of new developers moving into the area.
Chew and Chelten: What once was
“Germantown used to be a beautiful mix of people,” said Douglas Rucker, who has lived in the area for most of his life, “integration helped people come into the area and get out of bad situations.” Rucker, who works with the Chew and Chelten Community Development Corporation (CDC) recalls a time when Northwest Philadelphia was not only racially integrated, but culturally as well. The predominantly African American neighborhood is now seeing a movement of racial integration in many ways, but also a lack of cultural integration.
Flying Kite
“We came, we saw, we conquered,” said Rucker referring to typically white developers who buy up land in the area without considering cultural displacement. Over the last decade, the population of Germantown has been slowly rising, but the number of new white people coming into the neighborhood is nearly double the number of people of color. Meanwhile, over the same period of time, the average household income in the area has risen.
According to their Federation of Neighborhood Community Centers page, the Chew and Chelten CDC is an organization operating out of the East Germantown area that looks to engage “youth and young adults through arts, culture and entrepreneurship programs for non-profit leadership development and career success.” Rucker says his team’s goal is to revitalize the immediate community around the Chew Avenue and Chelten Avenue intersection with a business district that is owned and operated by members of the Germantown community and their families.
Through intervention and prevention of negative gentrification effects, Rucker hopes to, “see this area as it used to be: one that welcomes a sense of friendliness and community.”
Wayne Avenue: A look into Germantown life
West of Chew and Chelten is Wayne Avenue, which cuts through the center of Germantown. Traveling through the neighborhoods here, there is a sense that the people coming and going, sitting on their porches or frequenting local businesses are connected by their shared appreciation of this section of the city of brotherly love. Just one block off of Wayne at any stretch of the road there are similar but unique subsections of Germantown such as the houses neighboring the Happy Hollow Recreation Center. Here men and women clad in business attire wait for a SEPTA bus while young people play basketball in the nearby courts.
WikiMedia Commons
A flea market takes place in front of the Happy Hollow Recreation Center on Wayne Avenue.
A short trip up the road, the homes have a similar style, architecturally, and feature signs that read “Peace,” “Integrity,” “Black Lives Matter” and “Respect for All,” as well as being home to the first front yard barbecues of the spring thaw. These places are home for their residents, and they shouldn’t have to leave because they cannot afford to live in the place they’ve lived for decades.
Germantown has many of these culturally distinct subsections that share an overall connection to the neighborhood, but diversify and create unique subcultures. They may be hidden from Wayne Avenue, but to their residents, these subsections are communities worth persevering.
Renewal with respect
Bruce McCall of TekLaw Properties is working in these small communities to renovate decaying properties while maintaining what makes each property and area unique. A Mount Airy resident and IT worker by trade, McCall took up real estate development in 2005 and has been working in North Philadelphia neighborhoods including Germantown since. With a majority of McCall’s renovation properties being located in Germantown, he has gotten to know the local culture and style well over the years.
“The more that Germantown’s history and classic look is followed, the more well received the project is,” said McCall commenting on his work in Germantown.
“TekLaw prides itself on responsible development with care. We are more socially based as we like to get input from neighbors instead of just throwing something out there and just stick whatever we want to the community,” said McCall.
One of the key arguments against gentrifying an area, besides raising costs and lowering livability for residents, is that it fundamentally changes the appearance and general feel of an area. When working in Germantown, McCall seeks to avoid this by consulting local community organizations and Facebook groups, which McCall said “gives the neighbors a chance to have some say so on what their neighboring property will look like.”
Hidden City Philadelphia
Even if many community members work together to analyze incoming developments, not all developers will consult the community and some may end up taking advantage. Jumpstart Germantown looks to, “revitalize the Germantown section of Philadelphia, and surrounding communities through training, mentoring, networking and providing financial resources to local aspiring developers,” according to their website. The group helps developers get in touch with the community and learn how to preserve the cultural integrity of their properties while also renovating and raising the value of them.
“Culturally responsible development is taking into consideration community needs and wants where redevelopment is happening,” Jumpstart Germantown director Angie Williamson said.
Jumpstart Germantown
Jumpstart teaches residents how to physically redevelop a home and how to do so in a culturally responsible manner.
“Jumpstart Germantown focuses on blight removal — ensuring that homes in the area are returned to livable conditions and provide naturally occurring affordable housing in the community,” Williamson said. Jumpstart consults with and teaches local real estate developers from the Philadelphia area, allowing them to earn a profit by working in their neighborhoods.
“The impact is huge, and growing. And the Jumpstart model is providing education, mentorship and financing to groups historically denied access to capital and the real estate development profession. More than 85 percent of our participants are women or people of color, which is reflective of the communities in which they are improving,” Williamson said.
Philly Office Retail
The Attic Brewing Company is a project developed in the heart of Germantown that attracts a major college crowd just off of Wayne Avenue.
“As Germantown’s popularity grows and more people realize its many benefits, the demand for, and price of real estate also grows,” said Williamson.
Livability and affordability
Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) is defined by researchers at the Reinvestment Fund as “housing units that are affordable to modest-income families without subsidy such as the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.” As NOAH housing continues to develop in the area, Germantown has also lost several low-income housing options to decay and lost cultural landmarks to redevelopers refusing to be transparent with the community, raising concerns that the Germantown community may be losing its history.
It took an active group of over 250 residents raising their concerns to a State Representative and State Senator to keep the Germantown High School building, which is over 100 years old, from becoming a shopping center. As of February 2022, Germantown High is not being demolished, but is being repurposed as apartments by developer Jack Azran, the same person who was planning to turn it into a mall, which has neighbors concerned for Germantown’s true heritage being preserved. Buildings like this are being taken advantage of all over Germantown, but 250 protestors cannot show up every time a culturally or historically significant home or business is bought up.
Marthol, a Germantown resident since 2007 and transplant from New York City, says that, “real estate access for working-class to poor people, whether you are renting or plan to be a homeowner, has diminished significantly since 2007.” Mathol says that her neighbors and her receive daily phone calls, text messages and letters from developers requesting to purchase their homes for what she calls “the absolute lowest price.”
“They are like sharks circling who detect a little blood in the water,” said Marthol.
GREAT via Facebook
Members of the Germantown community gather pre-pandemic for a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. day celebration featuring a discussion of Dr. King’s concept of the “beloved community.”
When questioned about local development groups like Jumpstart, Marthol responded “I personally haven’t seen any development that doesn’t lead to displacement or a change in the economic mix.”
Taking a different approach to redevelopment, GREAT has several programs that are trying to preserve Germantown’s community and culture through economic and community assistance. The group’s main counter to the effects of gentrification are Community Land Trusts, sections of property owned and operated by a non-profit that is influenced by members of the community to keep the rates affordable and housing or commercial land in the hands of longtime Germantowners.
Citizens take action
Marthol, who says she moved from New York due to rising housing costs caused by gentrification there, was attracted to Germantown because of its community efforts, architectural style and historic value to the city. Although she has learned and experienced much of Germantown’s history, she, like many moving to the neighborhood every year, was not there to see the community build itself up after it experienced major divestment in the latter half of the 20th century — what Marthol refers to as “the lean times.”
“When you remove the people who lived through it, you remove that history… the holders of history are more important to culture than the architecture,” said Mathol.
Freedom’s Backyard
Rittenhouse Town is a historic site in the Germantown area that was built in the 1600s when the neighborhood was first being formed. It is home to one of the oldest paper mills in the United States.
A way that Germantown citizens like Marthol can be proactive when it comes to protecting their homes and community culture is by participating in government exemptions such as the Real Estate Homestead Tax Relief Program or the Longtime Owner Occupants Program (LOOP). The Homestead Program is a simple application that homeowners can fill out and send to the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Revenue. According to the city’s website, to qualify, one must only own a home in Philadelphia in which they live as their primary residence. Once accepted, the property gains the Homestead Exemption leading to a reduction in assessed property value of up to $45,000.
LOOP is the most direct counter force homeowners in areas like Germantown have against gentrification, as it directly assists those whose assessed property value (after applying for a Homestead Exemption) has risen by at least 50 percent in one calendar year. This can occur for a variety of reasons, but the most common and obvious reason is that when a developer moves into a low-income area and builds up high property value locations, the property tax of the surrounding area rises with it. LOOP limits a property’s tax increase to 50 percent, and while an increase of that size can still result in financial complications for some, the ability to limit the financial effects that gentrifying developers have on an area is currently the best way to preserve affordability.
Some members of the community such as Rucker see these governmental programs as beneficial to the community, but also as just the first step.
“City officials do not do as much as they could, and they have the legislative power to help communities like ours,” said Rucker. He sees community redevelopment as a positive in many ways, especially when new developments such as high-end apartments bring talented individuals and diverse populations into the community, bringing back the integration he spoke of from the area’s past.
Workers World
This demonstration at a city council meeting is one of many that have demonstrated Philadelphia’s citizens’ desire for policy change and fixes in the city to help people resist the effects of gentrification.
According to Rucker, if the city government will not intervene when developers try to take advantage of lower-income neighborhoods, then “it is up to the individual to become educated on how to protect their community, to protect the future of their children and families.”
When developing in culturally rich areas like Germantown that also have abandoned or deteriorating properties, there is a fine line to walk between improvement and cultural displacement.
Williamson says that when developing in the area, it is important to remember that “projects can be profitable and remain affordable,” and to “listen to the neighbors and pay attention to what the community wants and needs.” While even the leading industry executives are still somewhat unclear as to how development and culture can get along, and local organizations are doing their best to preserve their communities, there is still more that citizens of gentrifying neighborhoods can do, and plenty that those looking in from other neighborhoods can do to help.
“If the locals rise up, come together and create what they’d like to see in their neighborhood, it would offset some of the negative impacts of new development,” said McCall, “I think it can be done but it would take some collaboration for sure.” When moving to an area like Germantown, supporting culturally responsible development and avoiding obviously gentrified developments is a practical way to add to and experience another culture without displacing those that built it.
As was voiced by several Germantown citizens though, the city of Philadelphia is ultimately the place Germantown citizens should turn their criticisms toward, as more stringent policy changes could lead to the help that this community needs.
Editor’s Note: This article is a modified version of a story written as part of my upcoming indie publication Finding Philadelphia, and owes credit for some contributions to Myles Williams.
The La Salle Collegian 