Every other week, we update you on progress made across Philadelphia’s homeless services system, including personal testimonials and success stories, how we’re putting our strategic plan Roadmap to Homes into action, and how Philly continues to be one of the most progressive, successful homeless services system in the country.
Read below and share the good news!
WHYY: Philly helps homeless find work with immediate pay
Recently, local PBS affiliate WHYY covered progress on “same day pay,” one program we’re looking at to develop compassionate, effective solutions to homelessness and panhandling.
The concept is simple: People experiencing homelessness get access to work and receive wages the same day they’ve worked.
After being so impressed with the innovative collaboration going on between Mural Arts and the Barra, Sheller, and Scattergood foundations on their own same day pay pilot, the City is figuring out how to scale the program up to help even more people. Moving forward, these types of progressive, startup programs are going to be a core part of Shared Public Spaces, the Kenney Administration’s public-private working group focused on finding compassionate, effective solutions to homelessness and panhandling in Philly.
Success stories: Our strategic plan in action through the Young Adult Leadership Committee
Young Adult Leadership Committee (YALC) leaders Andre Thomas and Liam Spady just returned from the annual Youth Collaboratory Youth Catalyst Retreat. The event focused on ways to improve the lives of young adults.
Our five-year strategic plan, Roadmap to Homes, has specific action steps and goals. One of those action steps includes integrating systems to reduce trauma and better serve people.
The Young Adult Leadership Committee (YALC) is a core part of this, providing leadership and guidance to Philadelphia’s homeless services system from the perspective of youth with lived experience. But YALC doesn’t just improve our homeless services system. It also provides critical leadership opportunities to youth themselves, preparing the next generation of Philadelphia’s leaders.
After coming back from the retreat, Liam says he envisions a world without youth homelessness, instead filled with “a mighty army of youth” who are experts at putting their goals and dreams into action.
U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness: Philadelphia creating “pioneering” solutions
Recently, the federal government recognized Philadelphia’s efforts at compassionately, effectively closing large encampments as part of the Encampment Resolution Pilot program. You can learn more about the plan online, including a specific description of how we provide outreach and engagement to those living in encampments for weeks and months before ever closing them, partnering across City agencies including law enforcement to respect rights, dignity, and neighborhoods while offering help and hope.
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness recently published a report looking at our efforts, praising them as “pioneering” and “stemming the tide.”
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development also looked at the ERP this year, too.
KYW Newsradio: Proposed federal rule would leave thousands of children without homes
Recently, the City encouraged people to add their comments to a proposed rule change from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development that could, potentially, cause people currently in homes to become homeless.
“The fact that the government would knowingly and willfully take a step that would cause people that are currently housed to become homeless is unconscionable,” Hersh said.
“Currently, undocumented immigrants cannot receive subsidies but can reside with people who are here legally. Housing subsidies are pro-rated to make sure only legal residents are covered,” explained KYW’s Pat Loeb. “The [proposed] rule would force out even legal residents if they live with parents or children who are undocumented.”
While the public comment period ended on July 9, you can learn why Philadelphia opposed the rule and more details about it in the City’s press release.
