On Saturday, April 5, we joined some inspiring community members at Sloan Street Garden for the NAC Garden Work Party, as part of the annual Philly Spring Clean-Up. Although the weather was rainy, it didn't stop us from rolling up our sleeves and working together.
In addition to tidying up, the team planted a variety of fresh produce, which will not only beautify the garden but also provide healthy food options for local residents. Thank you to everyone for your hard work on a Saturday morning! We are already looking forward to our next visit to Sloan Street Garden, where we can continue to support and nurture our community's green spaces!
0 Comments
![]() Earth Day, celebrated annually on April 22, emphasizes our collective duty to protect the planet and promote sustainability. It aims to raise awareness of environmental issues such as climate change and pollution, encourage action at all levels, and celebrate progress in conservation. In Philadelphia, both HopePHL and Vault + Vine exemplify this mission through their commitment to sustainability and community empowerment. Omari Baye, Director of Early Childhood Programs at HopePHL, connects these two spaces to foster environmental and social resilience. Vault + Vine, located at 3507 Midvale Avenue in Philadelphia, embodies environmental stewardship and community care. The black woman-owned café and plant nursery, co-owned by Diana Baye (Omari’s wife), offers locally sourced breakfast and lunch options, a consignment space for local artisans, and a licensed plant nursery. Omari volunteers at Vault + Vine, tending to plants and helping to maintain the space. His connection to Vault + Vine extends into his work at HopePHL as he often incorporates plants and natural elements from the café into the Children’s Services Department at HopePHL’s Families First Building. These touches create a calming and supportive environment for him and the Children’s Services team, who often work with children and families at-risk. A key feature of Vault + Vine is the East Falls Community Fridge, a food pantry with the slogan "take what you want and leave what you can." This shared resource, supported by volunteers and initiatives like Fresh Food Connect, provides access to fresh food to community members. Fresh Food Connect links local gardeners with hunger relief organizations to redirect surplus produce, supporting community fridges and food pantries in East Falls and Greater Philadelphia. This initiative promotes sustainability by reducing food waste and enhancing access to healthy food, in line with Earth Day's goals. As Earth Day 2025 approaches, HopePHL and Vault + Vine remind us that building sustainable communities involves nurturing both the planet and its people. We hope to see you at our Earth Day event on April 22nd! HopePHL thanks the William Penn Foundation for a $345,000 grant to expand mental health services!3/31/2025 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.” HopePHL was honored to be a part of Jack and Jill's 75th Annual Teen Leadership Conference! 1200 teens from the Eastern Region chapters of Jack and Jill gathered for the weekend in Philadelphia to focus on community, expand their leadership skills, and to give back to selected Philadelphia organizations.
As part of their "Share the Love" event, three sessions were held on Thursday afternoon where around 300 teens per session took the time to pack Cope and Care kits that included hand written notes of encouragement, self care tips, a notebook, stress ball, stickers, coloring book, and colored pencils! We are so grateful that Jack & Jill selected HopePHL to receive these kits to share with the teens in our programs. A new report from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) shows the increase in young children experiencing homelessness in Pennsylvania.
Highlights include:
This report seeks to inform practitioners and policy makers about young children experiencing homelessness in Pennsylvania. HopePHL’s series called the “Children Cannot Wait Campaign” aims to increase awareness of children and youth experiencing homelessness. We provide a summary which identifies children in various categories, using recently published data from the PDE of its the Education of Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) program. This week a federal court judge extended a temporary restraining order against the Office of Management and Budget’s attempt to freeze funding for federal grants and programs. This restraining order expands the scope of the initial stay issued last week. The order forbids the administration “from implementing, giving effect to, or reinstating under a different name the directives in the original OMB memo.”
While this news came as a welcome relief, we remain gravely concerned about future cuts to federal funding as spending is aligned with the administration’s agenda. The programs at HopePHL most impacted by a funding freeze receive 60% or more funding from Federal sources, and include:
These programs act as a safety net for families, youth, and young children facing homelessness or housing insecurity. At HopePHL, we are proud of our nonpartisan, nondiscriminatory efforts to serve every family and youth experiencing homelessness, and West Philadelphia residents, who engage us, as our contracts allow, and funding will accommodate. HopePHL serves 4,000 children a year and our community development work impacts 20,000 households. HopePHL’s economic impact includes:
There are over 1.8 million non-profits like HopePHL in the United States, running the gamut of offerings from financial education, small business services, literacy support, education, housing, workforce training, and resources for survivors of criminal acts. Many of which will endure financial distress and face closure with reductions in federal funds. Non-profits are sustained by a workforce of 12 million employees (more than manufacturing, construction, or finance industries) that collectively contribute $1 trillion to the United States Economy (5% of the annual GDP). For these reasons, we urge you to send the letter below to elected and appointed officials at all levels of government, and email signed copies to [email protected]. Join us in supporting our local Black-Owned businesses this Black History Month! Click on each slide for more information on their websites.
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. Check out the scene from the annual Lancaster Jazz & Arts Festival! It was a beautiful day to see some unbelievable jazz performers, shop and eat from local vendors, and honor members of the community! Stay tuned for more recaps of the day to come.
|
Click on a category to filter to the stories that are most important to you!
Categories
All
Archives
May 2025
|