This month, Mission First Housing Group, with partner Methodist Family Services/Methodist Home for Children (Methodist), will complete the 18-month preservation of Monument Village – a 60-unit affordable housing community in the Wynnefield Heights neighborhood of West Philadelphia.

Methodist came together with Mission First in 2000 to discuss bringing affordable housing to their 22-acre campus situated on the edge of Fairmount Park. In 2004, the partners opened Monument Mews a five-building affordable housing community for homeless individuals and families straight from the shelter system, with access to Methodist Services’ case management, child care and behavioral health services fostering educational advancement, employment and other means of self–sufficiency. Mission First’s affiliate Columbus Property Management has maintained and managed the building since its opening 18 years ago.

In 2019, the team came together again to discuss the preservation of what is now called Monument Village to ensure the long-range affordability of the property and make necessary upgrades to the building. Along with refinancing the project, the exteriors of the buildings received facelifts with all-new windows and roofs and a repaved parking lot. Inside, an all-new HVAC system and new water heaters were installed. All of the units received new kitchen cabinets and appliances, bathroom upgrades, new paint and updated flooring as needed. We also reconfigured the community and laundry room to add a new property management office on-site to better serve our residents.

During the renovations, Mission First’s in-house relocation specialist along with Move It or Lose It LLC moving company (featured within) were able to temporarily relocate residents within the building to minimize disruption during the renovations. There was no displacement among current tenants, and vacant units were used to “hotel” residents during the transition. All units have Project-Based Section 8 subsidies from the Philadelphia Housing Authority. Once construction is complete, we will work to lease open units.

The residents are very pleased with the updates to the building, and Mission First and Methodist are happy to continue contributing this important affordable housing resource to those in need for many years to come.

Affordable housing preservation is becoming increasingly important as the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program (LIHTC) recently passed its 30th year and projects are up for re-syndication every 15 years. Developers can refinance their properties every 15 years to access the financial resources needed to rehab and upgrade buildings to ensure they meet the current housing standards and provide sustainable homes for residents. Given the widespread shortage in affordable housing in the communities we serve, the need to preserve what is already designated as affordable housing is just as important as adding more housing stock.



Among nonprofit developers in the City of Philadelphia and State in Pennsylvania, Mission First has one of the strongest track records and is a leader in preservation, especially in difficult projects - preserving more than 700 apartments throughout our portfolio and planning to preserve 500 more in the next five years. Mission First has successfully worked with both traditional and new funding sources, municipalities, and local nonprofit organizations to re-package 15-year projects with new funding. Most importantly, preservation ensures that both the residents and the community at large can enjoy the ongoing benefits of high-quality affordable and supportive rental housing for many years to come.

One of the major tasks in completing a housing preservation project is managing the temporary relocation of residents currently living in the building. Moving can be a stressful experience for anyone so our relocation specialist works with our development, construction, property management and maintenance teams to ensure residents have minimal disruption during construction. It is important that we also work with responsible external vendors during the process.

For the last 5 years, Mission First has worked with Move It Or Lose It, LLC a 10-year-old moving company based in Strawberry Mansion, Philadelphia, to ensure our residents can efficiently move from their current apartment to a temporary unit and back to their newly rehabbed home. Move It Or Lose It has moved more than 250 of Mission First’s Philadelphia residents as part of the preservation of Monument Village (60 units in Wynnefield Heights), Parkside Neighborhood Preservation (82 units in East Parkside) and through individual moves in scattered site properties throughout Philadelphia.

“As long as I have good communications with the team, I am good and we make it happen,” said Claudel Pierre-Louis, owner of Move It Or Lose It. “It is very easy working with the team. I give them access to my schedule and they work around it. It keeps me busy and keeps me going.”

In addition to moves, Claudel and his team have been working directly with our maintenance team on unit turns, property clean up and clean out and many more projects. Claudel recently retired after 21 years with SEPTA and he is now able to focus solely on his moving business. He is grateful for his growing partnership with Mission First. 

“Everything is a good working relationship with everyone in the company and I am beyond happy,” Pierre-Louis said of the more than a dozen of Mission First’s employees he has worked with.

Mission First’s team is happy to have forged a great relationship with Move It Or Lose It, and look forward to many more projects with Claudel and the team helping our residents settle back into their newly refreshed homes.