Category: Youth

Back to School Policy Brief

9/30/2024

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.

Read Full Brief Here

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Wellness Exercise at YES

5/9/2023

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Photo Caption L-r: Gwen Bailey, HopePHL; Melissa Johnson, CHOP's Homeless Health Initiative; Dalila Zigani, Volunteer, CHOP's Homeless Health Initiative; Colin Pustilnik, Volunteer with YES Wellness; Maryann McEvoy, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The Wellness Exercise, which began 8 years ago with volunteers Colin Pustilnik and Chris Major, takes place every Sunday at Youth Emergency Service. The volunteers pair physical exercise with motivational and stress reduction activities for the youth. By strengthening the body and the mind, The Wellness Exercise helps young people living at YES to prepare for the coming week.

This week we had a special guest - Maryann McEvoy, Executive Director & Child Advocate for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania/ PA Office of Advocacy and Reform, part of Governor Shapiro's office. HopePHL is grateful to Colin, Chris, Maryann, and all the volunteers for spending time with our youth! For more information on how to support HopePHL’s programs, visit https://www.hopephl.org/donate.html

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Arising From Homelessness

4/10/2023

Each day teens like Terrance (name changed to protect his privacy), in our Arise transitional housing program, find much needed support and services, often for the first time in their lives, that help them build essential resiliency skills and learn to navigate life’s ups and downs so they can achieve their goals. Terrance grew up without the safety and stability that his peers had. He struggled with undiagnosed mental health issues, self-medicated with substance use, and experienced homelessness – sometimes even finding shelter in abandoned buildings. He was tired of feeling lost, wanted a home, and needed a support network of caring people.

Volunteer Spotlight: Colin Pustilnik and Chris Majors

3/3/2023

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This article was originally published in Youth Service, Inc.’s Newsletter in January 2022. In January 2023, Youth Service, Inc. merged with People’s Emergency Center under the new name HopePHL. Visit hopephl.org for more information. The volunteers and project described in the article are current as of March 9, 2023 and we are grateful for their continued support and encouragement of YES youth.

It is a Sunday morning at Youth Service, Inc.’s (now called HopePHL) Youth Emergency Service (YES) teen shelter and Colin Pustilnik is walking around the lounge trying to get sleepy teenagers motivated for another Sunday Wellness Workout session, while his volunteer partner Chris Major sets up the workout area. Pustilnik, a sales leader at Tangoe, and Major, Corporate & Foundation Relations director at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have been doing this each Sunday for the past 6 years.

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HopePHL Signs on to the Kids Campaign

1/30/2023

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Al Dia

"The Kids’ Campaign is a first-of-its-kind nonpartisan effort focused on ensuring that each mayoral candidate for the upcoming election details exactly how they will make the city safer for the youth." - Al Dia

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HopePHL Announcement Coverage

1/30/2023

The announcement of the complete integration of PEC and YSI was highlighted in these articles.

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HopePHL: Official Announcement of PEC and YSI Integrating into New Agency

1/30/2023

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People’s Emergency Center and Youth Service, Inc. announced their plan to integrate into one agency in
November 2019. The two non-profit organizations officially began operating as a single organization, named HopePHL™ (pronounced “hopeful”) on January 1, 2023.

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How COVID-19 Affected the Identification of Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness in Pennsylvania

8/22/2022

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HopePHL's policy brief explores how COVID-19 affected the education system’s ability to identify children and youth who experience homelessness in Pennsylvania.

Children Cannot Wait: Recommendations to Governor Shapiro

8/22/2022

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How will the next Governor support Pennsylvania’s 40,000 children and youth experiencing homelessness?HopePHL and our partners have organized a campaign called Children Cannot Wait to make recommendations to the next administration.

News & Publications

Back to School Policy Brief

Wellness Exercise at YES

Arising From Homelessness

Volunteer Spotlight: Colin Pustilnik and Chris Majors

HopePHL Signs on to the Kids Campaign

HopePHL Announcement Coverage

HopePHL: Official Announcement of PEC and YSI Integrating into New Agency

How COVID-19 Affected the Identification of Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness in Pennsylvania

Children Cannot Wait: Recommendations to Governor Shapiro

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