The City Council of Philadelphia authorized the Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development, and the Homeless to hold hearings on the impact of using regional Area Median Income (AMI) for affordable housing program eligibility. The resolution highlights that the current HUD-calculated regional AMI ($114,400 for a family of four in 2024) is significantly higher than Philadelphia's median household income (roughly $87,000 for a similar family), leading to housing programs that do not adequately serve the City's genuinely low-income households. The Council believes that this discrepancy disproportionately affects Black and brown families and that localizing the AMI standard would create more genuinely affordable housing options and promote long-term stability and community resilience within Philadelphia. The resolution emphasizes that housing security is a citywide issue, with many residents being housing cost-burdened due to rising home values (over 100% in 20 years) compared to income growth (9%). The hearings aim to explore how a more locally defined AMI can better address the true housing affordability needs of Philadelphians.