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News & Publications

HopePHL Meeting with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

9/20/2023

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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. ​
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Homeless Children and Youth Act Re-Introduced!

9/20/2023

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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.
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Congressman Dwight Evans
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Congressman Brendan Boyle

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Children Cannot Wait:  Highest number of Children and Youth Identified as Homeless in Pennsylvania – 40,003!

7/20/2023

 
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​A new report from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) shows that in School Year (SY) 2021-2022 there were 40,003 children and youth were identified as homeless throughout the Commonwealth, an all-time high.
 
HopePHL has summarized this report to inform practitioners and policy makers about children and youth experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia.
 
With this Policy Brief we continue HopePHL’s series called the “Children Cannot Wait Campaign” (see https://bit.ly/3qAQGIX).  Part 1 of our exploration of the data offered by PDE will focus on Pennsylvania; Part 2 will focus on the data specific to Philadelphia; and Part 3 will look at homelessness by school district. 
rEAD THE pOLICY bRIEF

‘Thank you’ Representatives Evans, Scanlon, Wild, and Boyle!

4/3/2023

 
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Recently, local Congressional members proposed increasing support for two key programs that support thousands of Pennsylvania's children and youth experiencing homelessness. A bipartisan "Dear Colleague" letter was circulated in the U.S. House of Representatives, calling for $800 million for the McKinney-Vento Act's Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program and $300 million for the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) program in the FY2024 budget.

The EHCY and RHYA programs have been underfunded for several years, but the American Rescue Plan delivered increases to these programs, thanks to bipartisan support that seized on the opportunity to expand services. As a result, Pennsylvania received a one-time allocation of $32 million to serve over 30,000 children and youth experiencing homelessness, compared to the usual budget of less than $6 million. This increase helped 8,000 children and youth experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia.
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We are happy to report that Congresspersons Dwight Evans (Philadelphia), Mary Jo Scanlon (Delaware), Susan Wild (Lehigh), and Brendan Boyle (Philadelphia) have signed onto the letter. The next step is for the House Appropriations Committee to decide whether to support this effort. We are reaching out to PA-based Appropriations Committee members Guy Renschenthaler (14th District, SW Pennsylvania) and Matt Cartwright (8th District, NW Pennsylvania), and we ask advocates in those regions to contact their representatives.

Working Together: HopePHL, Landlords and Tenants

3/1/2023

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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.

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Leading & Educating: Omari Baye

2/28/2023

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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. ​
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Leading & Educating: Sarah Vrabic

2/28/2023

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HopePHL’s own Sarah Vrabic, Manager of Everyday Learning Play Spaces, delivered an interactive workshop for the Tennessee Association of Infant Mental Health. The workshop was titled “Seeing the Unseen: How can we best support young children and their families experiencing homelessness?” 
​​Sarah tackled topics such as:
  • how experiencing homelessness may affect a young child and their family
  • research findings that show when parents feel supported, their children display better social-emotional functioning, and
  • actionable ways to support children and caregivers through a relationship-based and trauma responsive lens  

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Family Service Provider Network Releases Mayoral Policy Brief

2/7/2023

 
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The Family Service Provider Network, brought to you by HopePHL, has developed a list of recommendations for consideration by the candidates for Mayor of Philadelphia. For more information about the Family Service Provider Network, email ​policy@hopephl.org

Enhancing Early Learning Opportunities for Young Children Experiencing Homelessness in PA

2/7/2023

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Young children experiencing homelessness are at increased risk of poor health and academic outcomes, and the experience of homelessness can disrupt a child’s development, resulting in persistent developmental delays. This report summarizes activities under the direction of the Pennsylvania Head Start State Collaboration Office (PA HSSCO), to better understand the involvement of young children experiencing homelessness in early learning programs in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is brought to you by the PA HSSCO and HopePHL in collaboration with Grace Whitney, PhD, MPA, IMHE(r).
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  • Home
  • About
    • History
    • Join Our Team
    • Leadership
    • News & Publications
    • Annual Report & Financials
  • Programs
    • I Need Services
    • Adult & Family Services >
      • Family Empowerment Service
      • Family Housing
      • Parenting Collaborative
      • Parents as Teachers Home Visiting
    • Community Based Services & Community Development >
      • Community Outreach
      • Digital Inclusion
      • Lancaster Avenue
      • Neighborhood Services
      • Rental Assistance
      • Food Relief
      • Arts & Culture
    • Early Childhood Children's Services >
      • Baring House Crisis Nursery
      • Building Early Links for Learning >
        • BELL Summit
      • 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 Navigators
      • Teen Success
      • Youth Emergency Service
  • Policy & Advocacy
  • Events
    • Lancaster Avenue Jazz Festival >
      • Jazz Pop Ups
    • Philly Teen Conference
  • Donate
    • Wishlist
  • Contact