 The Back to School Policy Brief was developed by HopePHL in collaboration with Philly Homes for Youth, Eddie's House, Turning Points for Children, and Valley Youth House.
With additional funding and staffing the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) was able to support 10,000 children and youth who experienced homelessness in the School Year (SY) 2022-2023. The SDP's American Rescue Plan funds (ARP) are expiring December 31, 2024, and the new capacity and supports for students will disappear. No plans have been developed to build on or continue this support; the School District informed advocates that the new state funding is not adequate for replacing supports for homeless students; the Parker Administration and City Council are talking about this, but no actions have been taken.
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 After Maria's spouse was incarcerated and her family faced eviction, her children's school referred her to HopePHL's Thrive program. They had lived in public housing a few years prior but after their eviction they moved in with family members. Dad was incarcerated again causing tensions and conflict with Maria's in-laws, making the living situation untenable.
A Thrive system navigator supported Maria in making a plan to attain her own housing with her children. Thrive also referred Maria to a partner mental health program to help her cope with trauma her family experienced. As Maria began applying for her own housing, her credit score discouraged landlords from approving her applications. Thrive stepped in to guarantee a security deposit, adding a layer of security for the landlord. The 16-year-old has been referred to a teen program and Maria will be referred to more supportive social services once she has moved into her new residence. Thrive helps students experiencing homelessness, and their families. Thrive staff ensures students have stable and functional living conditions and remove barriers so they fully focus on their education. Thrive helps students thrive in school, at home, and in the community.  HopePHL was recently awarded a $150,000 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 annual grant program that has helped support organizations providing affordable housing and affordable housing services since 2005.
The City of Philadelphia Division of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) invited community partners to provide input on the draft 2022-2023 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report which will be released for public testimony in May. HopePHL’s response was presented by Trish Downey, Senior Director of External Affairs. Eleven other groups provided testimony, including Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations, Community Legal Services, and Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia. HopePHL operates several programs in partnership with DHCD, such as:
HopePHL’s testimony can be downloaded using the button in this article. It was submitted to the public record around 2:45pm on March 12, 2024. We are grateful for DHCD’s continued support and for the opportunity to provide recommendations. HopePHL looks forward to partnering with the city to preserve housing stability, prevent homelessness, and offer temporary housing and services to youth and families experiencing homelessness.  The “State-Level Brief Update – A Call to Action” is brought to you by the Pennsylvania Head Start State Collaboration Office and HopePHL, in partnership with Grace Whitney, PhD. The Update highlights key state-level housing, education, and early childhood sector data regarding young children experiencing homelessness and it expands earlier efforts by including data related to young children in foster care.
 L-R top row: Scott Canon, Gwen Bailey, Joe Willard, HopePHL L-R bottom row: Lyn Kirschenbaum, Matthew Heckles, HUD Kathy Desmond, Kelly Durand, Hope PHL Matthew Heckles, the Regional Administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Region III, and his team met with the HopePHL staff. The goal was to provide the HUD representatives with information to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges related to housing instability, homelessness, and community development: particularly concerning families, youth, and other Philadelphia residents.
The HopePHL team provided a tour of Gloria's Place in West Philadelphia, which is renowned as Pennsylvania's pioneer structure to encompass emergency, transitional, and permanent housing units within a single location. Before concluding the meeting, the HopePHL team and HUD representatives engaged in discussions concerning inventive approaches to addressing housing insecurity. These included strategies like proactive prevention and diversion initiatives, aid for rentals, and funding to uphold affordable housing options. The Homeless Children and Youth Act (HCYA, H.R.5221) was reintroduced by U.S. Representatives Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11,) Bill Posey (R-FL-08), Delia Ramirez (D-IL-03), and Don Bacon (R-NE-02), and co-sponsored by Pennsylvanians Evans (Phila), Boyle (Phila), Scanlon (Delaware), Dean (Montgomery), and Fitzpatrick (Bucks). A positive step forward for families experiencing homelessness would be a unification of the federal definition of who is homeless and who is not. The Homeless Children and Youth Act would unify the definition, qualifying thousands of families and children for housing supports.
This brief builds on the earlier "A State-Level Brief: Participation of Young Children Experiencing Homelessness in Early Childhood Programs in Pennsylvania" (PA Head Start State Collaboration Office, January 2022) and provides a more focused examination of the experience of homelessness for infants and toddlers and their participation in early childhood programs. One is more likely to be in a shelter as an infant or toddler than at any other age.
Key findings include:
HopePHL has summarized homeless education reports from the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the School District of Philadelphia to draw attention to critical needs. Our summary is meant to inform practitioners and policymakers about children and youth experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia.
HopePHL is continuing its series called the “Children Cannot Wait Campaign” (see https://bit.ly/3qAQGIX). The report offered today is Part 2; it explores the data specifically on Philadelphia. Last month’s newsletter delivered Part 1, showing data for Pennsylvania. Part 3 will come next month and look at homelessness by county. |
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