The lesson of the Philadelphia fire: It’s not about more subsidized housing

The tragic Philadelphia row house fire last week claimed the lives of 12 residents, including eight children. The fact 18 people had lived in the two apartments that the house had been divided into has been linked less to fire safety than to an affordable (subsidized) housing shortage.

Wrote the New York Times: “The situation — a growing family forced to crowd ever more tightly into the apartment it already had — is not unique to Philadelphia. Across the country, a crisis in affordable housing has been festering for years, and with the lifting of eviction moratoriums and the dwindling of rental assistance funds offered during the coronavirus pandemic, it is only getting worse.”