Leshay Kennedy’s love of baking goes back to her childhood, when she would make desserts in the Easy-Bake oven and make snacks with her grandmother. With the birth of her own child, she decided to turn her hobby into a business during the pandemic.
She wanted to be more aware of how much sugar and preservatives are in baked goods and offer alternatives. So in January 2021, Kennedy started Nuri’s Sweet Treats. She sells desserts, including vegan and sugar-free options, at her pop-up events and is aiming to enter the Farmers’ Market this summer.
“We’re going to have a desert truck by the end of this year,” she said. “That’s the goal for me.”
Kennedy is one of about 40 Philadelphians who were able to start or grow a business because of the home they live in. They are residents of the Philadelphia Housing Authority.
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Through the Public Housing Authority’s six-month Entrepreneurial Fellowship program launched in 2021, residents will learn skills such as budgeting, cash flow management and marketing. They will receive assistance with company formation and licensing. You will also receive up to $3,000 in small business grants and up to $2,000 in business expense reimbursements. In March, Kennedy completed the advanced one-year version of PHA.
The program is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Moving to Work program. Federal agencies provide funding to public housing authorities to develop programs that help residents become independent.
“This is a real opportunity for residents to become their own bosses and enable them to succeed in the real world,” said Kelvin Jeremiah, president and CEO of PHA, one of Philadelphia’s largest social services providers. ” he said. “PHA’s mission is to open doors. It impacts not just housing, but economic opportunity.”
The agency plans to open a unique type of leading terminal market where PHA residents can set up to sell their products at a nominal cost. PHA plans to begin construction by the end of the year on land it owns near its headquarters in North Philadelphia.
Businesses generated by PHA residents are at various stages. Some entrepreneurs are just starting out, while others are looking to expand their business. Some people work 9 to 5 jobs, while others work full time for their own businesses. Some people are just reaching working age, while others are at or near retirement age.
Fellowship applicants must be 18 years of age or older and live in PHA housing or have a subsidized housing voucher. More than 1,500 PHA residents have applied.
“I didn’t realize how widespread the need was among our people,” Jeremiah said. “But I think this speaks frankly to the lack of opportunity that marginalized communities face. How do we want to live, how do we have economic success?” It’s not that we don’t have ideas about what we can do, we just don’t have the opportunity.”
PHA Residents Generating Business
Donta Daniels, 27, joined the program on his second try. This year, he launched his own clothing brand, We Are Pixxxies, which launched the printed shirts in time for a pop-up event Wednesday at PHA headquarters to showcase PHA residents’ businesses.
Daniels said she comes from a family of seamstresses and pattern makers and had previously tried to run a clothing company, but it didn’t work out. Through PHA’s program, he said he became more business-minded and developed the necessary skills.
“A lot of people don’t realize there are opportunities in our community,” he said. “I’m a big believer in looking for resources within the community.”
He said he wants his brand to speak to creatives and sociopaths.
“When you think of streetwear culture, a lot of people think of things like sneakers, but there’s also a subculture of campy kids out there, and that’s what we represent,” he said.
All business owners who complete the Entrepreneurship Fellowship are eligible to become a PHA vendor.
Aisha Barnett is the owner of Ruthann’s Kitchen, a soul food business that PHA hired in January to serve lunch to visiting Department of Housing and Urban Development officials.
Nijah Wiggins is in her busiest period as the owner of Corny’s, which sells gourmet corn on the cob and flavored popcorn. This time of year is also corn season and the time when community festivals start in earnest in Philadelphia neighborhoods, where they set up food trucks.
Emelly Raquel Resto has a skin care line of body butters and oils made with natural products and specifically for melanin-rich individuals. The 26-year-old Resto came up with the idea when she was 21, but she officially launched her Anoint by Ra in April. She is working towards a bachelor’s degree in business.
Kelly Finney has worked in the medical field for 20 years, but is a crafty and creative person who turned her hobby into LavishRoseCreations through an entrepreneurship program this year.
“PHA is much more than what people believe. It’s just Section 8 housing,” she said.
Phinney creates T-shirts and personalized party favors, from candy bars to wine bottles, for proms, graduations, birthdays, and other events.
“I love helping people take their vision and craft it into something unique and one-of-a-kind,” she said.
Finney had never thought about starting a business until he heard about PHA’s program.
“They take people who have dreams but don’t have a lot of direction and give them the tools they need to be successful,” she said. “It gives you the opportunity to grow and become your own boss and earn extra money. And work on something you’re passionate about.”
