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!

Success Stories: From homelessness prevention to homeowner

Homewnership is the quintessential American dream. And in Philadelphia, it’s a way of life. Nearly half of all people own their own homes in Philly.

Essentially, our city of neighborhoods culture can, at its best and with the right supports, create longterm, intergenerational stability in families. That includes participants in Office of Homeless Services programs. In October 2017, a single mother of three entered one of our homelessness prevention programs. Over the year and a half we teamed up with this family, the parent found stable, full-time employment.

In June 2019, the family became homeowners.

Congratulations to this participant — and thank you to the staff, providers, and everyone else who worked tirelessly to provide compassionate, effective solutions that didn’t just prevent homelessness but also helped buy a home! Learn more about our prevention work in this article from WHYY.

Billy Penn: Philly’s quadrupling homeless outreach for Code Red

The record breaking heat wave that engulfed Philly was all anyone was talking about recently, and WHYY’s Billy Penn embedded with homeless outreach as they distributed bottles of water and helped people experiencing homelessness connect to vital services.

“The effort is done strategically, with staff sent to specific city-identified ‘hot spots’ where homeless Philadelphians are most often found,” writes reporter Michaela Winberg.

“It’s a time-consuming process…one person alone took almost 45 minutes to engage. Once the team realized she was willing to accept help, they called a different street outreach team that could handle intake. As they waited, the workers stayed with her to keep her comfortable.” Read their outreach ride-along!

Inquirer: Sizzling heat persists, OHS partners help those displaced from power outage

Last Friday, residents at a senior living apartment complex in West Philly lost power.

The City swung into action to help, with the Office of Emergency Management coordinating across agencies to make sure the Philadelphians affected had access to air conditioned, safe spaces and, of course, food. Part of the relief efforts included OHS partners Philabundance and the Share Food Program.

They helped feed those affected — and replaced groceries that were lost in their refrigerators when the power went out! Read more about the City’s response to the heat!

Pew’s Stateline: Heatwave threatens public health in cities, states

Pew Charitable Trusts publishes a blog covering state and city news called Stateline.

Correspondent Teresa Wiltz talked to several cities about how they were helping those experiencing homelessness stay safe during the heat, including Philadelphia.

“Around the country, cities are mobilizing outreach teams, armed with copious amounts of water, to check on homeless people and provide transportation to get them to cooling centers,” Wiltz reports.

“Some are even sending out text alerts to people experiencing homelessness.” Read Pew’s blog!

Inquirer: Advocates take action to protect Pennsylvania General Assistance

On July 31, 2019, Pennsylvania’s General Assistance cash benefit ends.

Typically, people on GA do not qualify for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). It’s important to note that this change does not affect healthcare benefits, SNAP aka food stamps, or TANF. It only affects those receiving the state’s General Assistance cash benefits.

But advocates, including at Community Legal Services, are swinging into action and doing all they can to get General Assistance reinstated. Learn more about advocacy going on in this article from the Inquirer.

Have questions about General Assistance? Our blog has information and resources for those affected, including explanations about who is affected and what they can do.