Better Services PHL is making City services easier to use

Last January, the City of Philadelphia launched Better Services PHL through Executive Order No. 2-24. Led by the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), this initiative is all about improving how residents experience city services-making them easier to access, more reliable, and more effective.

The first six months focused on laying the foundation: hiring staff, establishing service standards, and building a framework for improvement. By summer, the team identified its first cluster of projects, selected based on existing resident and administrative data and departmental capacity.

Since then, Better Services PHL has taken on projects that span everything from healthcare to housing to public safety. The projects selected include:

• Improving Healthcare Information Access (Department of Public Health):Improving the Primary Care Finder tool to help uninsured, low-income, and limited-English-speaking residents connect with free and low-cost care.
• EZ Permits (Licenses & Inspections):Making residential permitting clearer and more approachable for non-expert homeowners.
• Flood Monitoring (Office of Emergency Management):Enhancing public access to location-specific flood risk information.
• In-the-Field Technology (Streets): Exploring how tablets might help staff in the field document their work more efficiently.
• Block Party Permits (Streets & PPD):Streamlining applications and creating new opportunities for residents to work with police to improve neighborhood safety.
• Tax and Assistance Applications (Revenue):Combining forms so residents can more easily apply for real estate tax assistance programs. (The application is now live! Check it out here.)
• Resource Finder Standards (Office of Innovation & Technology):Setting expectations for updating critical data on phila.gov tools, ensuring residents can trust the information they find.
• Deed Fraud Guard Enrollment (Records):Expanding outreach to help property owners protect themselves from fraud.

Some projects focus on direct resident experience, while others improve internal systems that ultimately make City services run more smoothly. In every case, the goal is the same: to create services that are easier, faster, and more accessible for all Philadelphians.

As Better Services PHL enters its second year, the team will continue to pilot, refine, and expand projects that matter most to residents-building a stronger foundation for a city that serves everyone better.