• Home
  • About
    • I Need Services
    • History
    • Leadership
    • Join Our Team
    • News & Publications
    • Annual Report
  • Programs
    • Adult & Family Services >
      • Family Empowerment Service
      • Family Housing
      • Parenting Collaborative
      • Parents as Teachers Home Visiting
      • Rental Assistance
    • Community Based Services & Community Development >
      • Community Outreach
      • Maynes Family Digital Learning Lab
      • Lancaster Avenue
      • Neighborhood Services
      • Rental Assistance
      • Food Relief
      • Arts & Culture
    • Early Childhood Children's Services >
      • Baring House Crisis Nursery
      • Building Early Links for Learning
      • Children's Work Group
      • Everyday Learning Play Spaces
    • School Age Children's Services >
      • Community Schools
      • The Thrive Project
      • Truancy Intervention & Prevention
    • Youth & Young Adult Services >
      • Arise Housing
      • Community Connectors
      • Community Navigator
      • Youth Emergency Service
  • Policy & Advocacy
  • Events
    • BELL Summit
    • Lancaster Avenue Jazz Festival >
      • Jazz Pop Ups
  • Donate
    • Wishlist
  • Contact
HopePHL
  • Home
  • About
    • I Need Services
    • History
    • Leadership
    • Join Our Team
    • News & Publications
    • Annual Report
  • Programs
    • Adult & Family Services >
      • Family Empowerment Service
      • Family Housing
      • Parenting Collaborative
      • Parents as Teachers Home Visiting
      • Rental Assistance
    • Community Based Services & Community Development >
      • Community Outreach
      • Maynes Family Digital Learning Lab
      • Lancaster Avenue
      • Neighborhood Services
      • Rental Assistance
      • Food Relief
      • Arts & Culture
    • Early Childhood Children's Services >
      • Baring House Crisis Nursery
      • Building Early Links for Learning
      • Children's Work Group
      • Everyday Learning Play Spaces
    • School Age Children's Services >
      • Community Schools
      • The Thrive Project
      • Truancy Intervention & Prevention
    • Youth & Young Adult Services >
      • Arise Housing
      • Community Connectors
      • Community Navigator
      • Youth Emergency Service
  • Policy & Advocacy
  • Events
    • BELL Summit
    • Lancaster Avenue Jazz Festival >
      • Jazz Pop Ups
  • Donate
    • Wishlist
  • Contact

News & Publications

HopePHL thanks the William Penn Foundation for a $345,000 grant to expand mental health services!

3/31/2025

0 Comments

 
HopePHL is thrilled and thankful to announce that William Penn Foundation has generously awarded us a $345,000 grant to expand mental health services for young children and their families. Our plans include hiring additional staff, providing training, expanding work hours and supporting the licensure process for current staff, and organizing community workshops. As we help those in our programs navigate obstacles and significant life changes, mental health serves as the essential foundation for our families to use the tools provided and create happy, fulfilling lives.

Vanessa Ingram, our Lead Youth and Young Adult Therapist in the Behavioral Health program, highlights an important aspect that many may not realize: the impact of fostering positive mental health practices from a young age. “Research has helped us understand the critical development that occurs from birth to age 5. With this expanded focus, we will be able to equip families with the necessary tools during these early stages of life, which will support resilience and provide a solid foundation for managing life's difficulties,” Vanessa explains.

William Penn Foundation’s support of our program will provide mental health services for 125 families over two years. This grant also will allow our behavioral health team to expand their unique skills. “This is an excellent opportunity for our mental health clinicians to integrate evidence-based interventions, build trusting relationships, and a strong therapeutic alliance to carry out HopePHL's mission,” HopePHL therapist Kimeesha Reed-Walker says.

​HopePHL Managing Director of Adult & Family Services, Erica Makowski, expressed the shared gratitude across the organization, “we are incredibly grateful to the William Penn Foundation for this opportunity to expand mental health services. This funding allows us to further support families and communities while working alongside dedicated staff who make a profound impact in the community.”
0 Comments

Advocating for Funds to Support Homeless Education

5/30/2024

0 Comments

 
Picture
Check out this month's edition of the HopePHL Perspective, our Policy newsletter to learn how you can help support getting more funds to support students facing homelessness, why collecting data on infants-toddlers experiencing homelessness is important, and upcoming events!
Read Here
0 Comments

The Importance of Collecting Data on Infants-Toddlers Experiencing Homelessness

5/28/2024

0 Comments

 
The term ‘equity’ has been talked about for many years, but what does it mean for Pennsylvania’s thousands of young children experiencing homelessness?  
  
A public health institute asserts that “equity is a solution for addressing imbalanced social systems. Justice can take equity one step further by fixing the systems in a way that leads to long-term, sustainable, equitable access for generations to come.”  
  
The Merrian-Webster website defines equity as ‘refers to fairness or justice in the way people are treated.’  
 
Many of us working in either the homeless housing and early childhood education systems have been asking "are children facing homelessness given equal access to high-quality early learning opportunities?" The answer lies in the data.

Many organizations are collecting data on this population but do not report it to a single entity for analysis. In the past year we have been working with our allies to encourage state and local officials to foster inter-system cooperation to improve our understanding of the prevalence and needs of infants and toddlers experiencing homelessness. If we do not know the participation rates of these children in programs like Head Start, home visiting, childcare, and others, we will not be able to answer the question.


Read More
0 Comments

Help To Extend The Affordable Connectivity Program Before It Comes To An End!

1/31/2024

0 Comments

 
Over 22 million U.S. households are enrolled in the The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), that is equal to roughly one in six of all Americans. ACP is a federal benefit that helps low-income households that qualify pay for internet services and devices.
​

The one-time funding for the program that was appropriated by Congress is set to run out by April 2024. Congress may approprate additional funds but it is not guaranteed so the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must operate as if the program will end. 
Picture
Dates to know: 
  • April 2024 is projected to be the last fully-funded month 
  • February 7th at 11:59 P.M. is the last day to enroll in the program. All enrollment for the program will be frozen starting February 8th. 
​
The official last fully-funded month will be announced in late February. ACP households will receive further instruction after this confirmation. Providers must offer additional opt-in to continue service if the consumer had not already been an active customer prior to applying the ACP benefit or if the ACP benefit covers the entire cost of a customer’s bill. 

Notifications To Look For: 
  • The FCC will announce the last fully funded month of ACP 60 days prior to the end of that month. (Example: April 2024 is the currently forecasted to be the last month, so the announcement would come on March 1, 2024 if this estimate is correct.) 
  • Providers are required to give 3 separate notifications to customer in writing: 
1) January 25, 2024: Must state the possibility of ACP end and potential impact on their future bills 
2) 15 days after FCC announcement of last fully-funded month of ACP 
3) During the customer’s last bill or billing cycle using the ACP benefit 
*Provider Notifications 2 & 3 must state the ending date of ACP and date of the last bill it will be applied to, bill amount without the ACP benefit OR statement that the customer will be subjected to undiscounted rates per term conditions, and give them the ability to change their service and/or to opt out continuing service at the end of ACP. 

Read More
0 Comments

​HopePHL and Community Partners Host Men’s Wellness Event in honor of Father’s Day Weekend and Juneteenth

6/17/2023

 
HopePHL’s Men’s Wellness Event is held in June each year, in recognition of Men’s Health Awareness Month, at the intersection of Lancaster Avenue and Spring Garden Street. This year’s event – the eighth annual – featured blood pressure education and screenings and Stop the Bleed program information. The American Red Cross demonstrated proper CPR techniques. West Philadelphia Promise Neighborhood sponsored a Promise Village that included literacy groups, arts and crafts and a demonstration of healthy smoothie blending from Farm Explorer and Greener Partners. Community Legal Services and Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity were also onsite to offer services.

Read More

HopePHL Awarded $250,000 Housing for Everyone Grant from TD Charitable Foundation in Support of Homelessness Prevention

5/26/2023

 
HopePHL™ was recently awarded a $250,000 Housing for Everyone grant from the TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank®. HopePHL™ is one of 37 non-profit organizations selected from more than 450 applicants to receive a Housing for Everyone grant as part of the TD Charitable Foundation's signature grant initiative that has helped support organizations that are focused on providing affordable housing and affordable housing services since 2005.

​
As individuals and families across the country struggle with inflation and an exponential rise in rental costs, affordable housing providers face increased hardship given the growing demand for affordable rental units and emergency rental assistance.
​ 
The grant will support HopePHL’s homelessness prevention work, which assists people at risk of homelessness in Philadelphia to remain in their homes and avoid emergency shelter. Through case management and direct financial assistance grants, the agency’s program provides West Philadelphia families with support to overcome a housing crisis. Since its launch in July 2020, HopePHL's program has successfully delivered these services to 355 families and has provided over $880,000 in emergency rental assistance grants.

Read More

Everyday Learning Play Spaces: A Child Friendly Space!

4/6/2023

 
Picture
The Early Learning Play Spaces (ELSP) team has recently been hard at work on our Child Friendly Space at the Darlene Morris Love and Care family housing program. Based on ideas and feedback we received from the staff and families there, we are happy to provide a space for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, older siblings, and caregivers to enjoy together. We transformed an unused room to accommodate an infant and reading corner, writing desk, kitchen and dress-up station and much more!  

Read More

Emergency Housing Opens Its Doors

4/6/2023

 
Picture
We are thrilled to announce the reopening of our Emergency Housing department, which is now able to accommodate larger families of four or more. We have already welcomed four families of seven to ten people, with another family of nine arriving soon.

Thanks to the city's partnership, we have been able to provide much-needed shelter to families who were previously struggling to find safe and stable housing. While we are still in the process of assessing their specific requirements, we know that baby formula and supplies are always in high demand. Our Emergency Housing department is now providing a lifeline to over 35 children, ranging from 4 months to 17 years old. 

Read More

Working Together: HopePHL, Landlords and Tenants

3/1/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
Sandra (her name is changed for privacy), is a local landlord. She was on the brink of ruin, when she met Robin from our homelessness prevention and diversion team. Fifteen of Sandra's long-time tenants were facing eviction from being unable to pay their rent due to COVID-related job loss. Most of her tenants worked in some capacity in hospitality and had faced immediate termination or reduced hours since the pandemic.

Read More
0 Comments

Leading & Educating: Omari Baye

2/28/2023

0 Comments

 
Watch the Presentation
Omari Baye sitting on a bench in front of greenery.
Omari Baye, Manager of HopePHL's Building Early Links for Learning Project, participated in a webinar hosted by SchoolHouse Connection with Tracy Duarte, Director of the PA Head Start State Collaboration Office. They co-presented to an audience of emergency housing providers, education administrators, and liaisons working to support children and youth experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.
“Using Data to Advocate for Infants & Toddlers Experiencing Homelessness in Pennsylvania” focused on strategies BELL and PA HSSCO uses to actively engage stakeholders in the early education, emergency housing, and early intervention systems in-order to mitigate barriers to Early Childhood Education enrollment for children and families. ​
0 Comments
<<Previous
    Click on a category to filter to the stories that are most important to you!

    Categories

    All
    Advocacy
    Annual Report
    BELL
    Children
    Education
    Equity & Access
    Family Homelessness
    Family Service Provider Network
    Impact
    Lancaster Avenue
    Leadership
    Newsletter
    Pennsylvania
    Philadelphia
    Policy
    Public Statements
    Research
    Volunteer Spotlight
    West Philadelphia
    Youth

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    August 2022
    January 2022

HopePHL

325 N. 39th Street
​Philadelphia PA 19104


Main Office: (267) 720-HOPE
Email: [email protected]



CONNECT WITH US
Follow us on social media

    SIGN UP FOR UPDATES & NEWSLETTERS!

SIGN UP
© 2023 HopePHL. All rights reserved.
  • Home
  • About
    • I Need Services
    • History
    • Leadership
    • Join Our Team
    • News & Publications
    • Annual Report
  • Programs
    • Adult & Family Services >
      • Family Empowerment Service
      • Family Housing
      • Parenting Collaborative
      • Parents as Teachers Home Visiting
      • Rental Assistance
    • Community Based Services & Community Development >
      • Community Outreach
      • Maynes Family Digital Learning Lab
      • Lancaster Avenue
      • Neighborhood Services
      • Rental Assistance
      • Food Relief
      • Arts & Culture
    • Early Childhood Children's Services >
      • Baring House Crisis Nursery
      • Building Early Links for Learning
      • Children's Work Group
      • Everyday Learning Play Spaces
    • School Age Children's Services >
      • Community Schools
      • The Thrive Project
      • Truancy Intervention & Prevention
    • Youth & Young Adult Services >
      • Arise Housing
      • Community Connectors
      • Community Navigator
      • Youth Emergency Service
  • Policy & Advocacy
  • Events
    • BELL Summit
    • Lancaster Avenue Jazz Festival >
      • Jazz Pop Ups
  • Donate
    • Wishlist
  • Contact