The Operations Transformation Fund will fund $10 million in transformative projects in City government in 2022 and 2023. Below is a list of projects that have been funded so far.
OEM will update its alert and warning system to make its emergency messages more accessible. OEM will create a pilot program to target messages to a specific neighborhood that is very vulnerable to flooding. The project will also put emergency alerts into Philadelphia’s top three most spoken languages. OEM looks to offer more translations in the future.
PPR will connect 20 under-resourced recreation centers with reliable internet. Communities will have access to free internet through these centers. Residents can use these spaces to do homework, apply for jobs, and connect with others. The centers will also have programming to help with the City’s anti-violence efforts.
For years, gun violence has disproportionately impacted Black men and boys in Philadelphia. This project will track progress by focusing on people who help create and maintain hope. It will create a multimedia documentary with data to help the City engage with residents.
16.9% of Philadelphia residents identify as living with a disability. MOPD will use OTF funding to address corrective actions from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Transition Plan that are low or no cost. MOPD will propel accessibility for residents, employees, and visitors.
This project will redesign the City’s Traffic Calming Program. It will make the program more accessible, inclusive, and transparent. Traffic calming helps reduce speeds and improve traffic safety. By improving access to resources, OTIS will create safer streets and reduce the impact of traffic crashes.
This project will give incarcerated people better access to primary and specialist care via mobile telehealth units. Mobile telehealth units will provide healthcare to patients. The project also allows the Department of Prisons to create an electronic sick call request system. This will replace a paper request system. It will speed the delivery of care and decrease the time for staff to take patients offsite for specialist care.
This project will change the City’s Organic Recycling Center into the Workforce Development and Reforestation Hub. It will turn fallen trees into lumber. It will focus on building people’s skills and consider community and environmental impact. The hub will reduce waste, cut costs, and create jobs for underserved communities. It will also support the City’s neighborhood canopy and forests.
This project will create a one-stop-shop for landlords. The system will offer resources about building compliance, housing programs, education, and more. The goal is to help landlords better navigate a complicated system.
This project will change three meeting and hearing rooms on the 18th Floor of the One Parkway Building into hybrid meeting spaces. The spaces will allow residents to join and appear virtually or in person. The goal is to make it easier for the public to engage with the City’s decision-making processes.
This project will update over 200 of the City’s Standard Accounting Procedures (SAPs). SAPs make sure that processes that impact financial reporting follow regulatory and other requirements, have accurate data, and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse. The updates will automate processes and/or ensure the use of current practices.
Free Library users can request library materials be delivered to their local branch library. The Free Library will hire a consultant to help improve the delivery system. The Free Library will speed up the delivery process to two business days or less. After making changes, the Free Library will create a campaign to raise awareness about the improved services.
This project will build relationships with trusted community organizations. The City will work with local leaders to change outreach efforts to help residents better understand workers’ rights.
Staff shortages continue to impact behavioral health services. Additionally, the workforce providing behavioral health services also does not represent the diversity of the communities served. The goal of this project is to address both issues. This project will expand community-based behavioral health training and workforce development. It will also create opportunities for social work and counseling students from diverse backgrounds to engage in the public behavioral health system.
The Free Library will enhance and expand services for residents that are homebound. It will deliver books, movies, instruments, medical tools, and more. Materials will be delivered more quickly, in a more personalized way, to more people.
Philadelphians rely on the City’s website to access the services and information they need every day. To better meet those needs, the City must hear from our residents. With direct user feedback, this project will uncover areas of improvement for our digital services and improve the City’s process for service delivery.
This project will bring new and efficient electric vehicle (EV) technology for charging City-owned vehicles. The City will buy Level 3 Networked EV chargers. These chargers will have more charging capacity, charge vehicles faster, and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollutants. This project aligns with the Municipal Clean Fleet Plan. It will also inform the Citywide EV infrastructure development policy.
Block captains are the City’s partners and teammates who understand the reward of a clean and safe street. Funding will provide new handheld leaf blowers to block captains across Philadelphia. These new tools will support their cleaning efforts in the city.
All residents should have access to safe, healthy, and secure housing. Neighborhood Energy Centers offer residents support with paying their utility bills and access to services that can help reduce their energy costs, such as weatherization. This project will support these centers so they can do better outreach. The goal is to reach more people and deliver more energy services to residents.
This project will establish a mobile unit to conduct community-based and on-site recruitment and testing for civil service examinations, including at select neighborhood libraries. This will help engage Philadelphians from areas of the city that are underrepresented in the City’s civil service workforce and will support virtual testing.
The Equitable Community Engagement Toolkit is a City-wide initiative that will transform how the City of Philadelphia thinks about, plans for, and facilitates engagement with the communities it serves. Created with City practitioners and community members, the Toolkit will include guidance, training, and a community of practice to help establish the conditions for the City to work with communities equitably.
The Crisis Access Link Model (CALM) will provide increased supports to youth and families in need by creating greater access to mental and behavioral health services for those at risk for or involved in the child welfare system. This model will utilize and expand the City’s children’s mobile crisis services and is an outcome of the Youth Residential Placement Task Force.
This project will verify and update building square footage information contained in the Office of Property Assessment’s records and create sketches that can be imported into its CAMA (Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal) system. This project is part of OPA’s ongoing efforts to update its property data to ensure accuracy and fairness in property valuation.
This project will create a public-facing online portal to deliver various public safety reports, replacing a series of processes that is currently almost entirely manual and paper-based. The digital system will include supporting backend workflows to search, process payments, and deliver these reports to the public through a simple application and payment process.
This project improves the translated content on the City’s website (phila.gov). It will standardize the number of translated pages for consistency, accuracy, and availability of translations for multilingual residents.
This project aims to ensure the City’s digital forms are accessible, secure, and consistent to streamline City processes and services.
This project will explore whether the City is devoting sufficient resources to support the planning and approval processes while advancing equitable growth in Philadelphia’s communities.
This project will build the capacity for the Streets Department and partners in and outside of City government to deliver capital projects and related services.
The Office of Sustainability will develop and implement a strategic direction to enhance coordination between the 11 active City-sponsored initiatives focused on addressing environmental injustice taking place in Philadelphia’s Eastwick neighborhood. This process can then be replicated to address issues of environmental injustice across the city.
The Office of Innovation and Technology’s Apprenticeship Program is a career change opportunity—focused on diversity and equity—for current City employees to get higher-paying roles, specifically in Software Engineering and User Experience.