Middle Neighborhoods
Our neighborhoods compete for people. One of my main priorities in Congress is putting America’s Middle Neighborhoods back on top. Middle Neighborhoods are communities on the edge of growth and decline. Middle neighborhoods are areas that are doing just well enough. We are not focusing as much resources or attention on these neighborhoods because we have yet to see an increased need to invest in these areas. However, if we aren’t careful these neighborhoods will teeter towards decline overnight.
Middle Neighborhoods have four main characteristics: neighborhoods where homeowners can purchase real estate for an affordable rate, neighborhoods where crime rates are low, neighborhoods where school performance is sufficient, and neighborhoods where employment rates are adequate. Essentially, homebuyers in middle neighborhoods are willing to test the odds with the hopes that their neighborhood will improve rather than decline.
In Philadelphia, over 40 percent of the population lives in middle neighborhoods. When talking about middle neighborhoods in Pennsylvania’s Second Congressional District we are referring to: Mt. Airy, Germantown, West Oak Lane, Roxborough, and Wynnefield.
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 make our neighborhoods stronger, block by block.
For more information about my work on Middle Neighborhoods, please contact my office.
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.
Researchers at Reinvestment Fund in Philadelphia report that 48 percent of city residents in the United States live in “middle neighborhoods.” These neighborhoods are generally affordable and functional, and they offer a reasonable quality of life, but many are in danger of decline.
A shrinking middle class, the suburbanization of jobs, obsolete housing styles, and dwindling homeownership rates cloud the future of these middle neighborhoods that serve as the lynchpin of success for most American cities and older suburbs.
In cooperation with the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), the National Urban League launched a multi-city Jobs and Justice tour. During the tour, the National Urban League and its local affiliates will lead a series of town hall discussions about policies that will increase the upward social mobility of African-American families, and help ensure equal protection under the law. The town hall discussions will also focus on how African-Americans can use their voice and vote to change their communities and the country.
Today, Congressman Dwight Evans (Philadelphia and Montgomery County) joined with his colleagues on the House Floor to vote in strong support of H.R. 1702, the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) Improvement Act of 2017.
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.
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.
Today Congressman Dwight Evans (PA-02) released the following statement after voting ‘No’ on H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
Today Congressman Dwight Evans (PA-02) released the following statement after voting ‘No’ on H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act again because the report sent to the Senate violated the Senate’s Byrd rule, which prohibits the tax overhaul package from losing revenue outside the budget window.