 Forty-eight charter schools and the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) will lose $3 million in support for the thousands of students and their families who experience homelessness during the school year. The Commonwealth will lose the capacity built by the American Rescue Plan’s $32 million investment.
Despite public hearings, countless meetings, direct discussions with policymakers, and multiple policy briefs framing the issue, no legislative body answered the call to use local funds to support homeless students. Every legislator on both sides of the aisle says they support homeless students, but only Rep. Ismail Wade Smith-El of Lancaster County and Philadelphia Representative Donna Bullock publicly stepped up to keep the new capacity going. The Commonwealth and its schools will revert to the federal $5 million for the 500+ school districts and charters to support more than 40,000 children and youth who experience homelessness. Yes, we are extremely disappointed.
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 Forty-eight charter schools and the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) stand to lose nearly $3 million in support for the thousands of students and their families who experience homelessness during the school year. HopePHL's school-based programs, such as Thrive, depend on these critical funds to provide the best support to students.
These funds were provided by the American Rescue Plan (ARP) via Pennsylvania’s ‘Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness’ (ECYEH) program. The ECYEH program is the only federal education program that removes barriers to enrollment, attendance, and reduces truancy caused by homelessness. The schools used this money to expand their capacity to provide staffing, train school personnel, and provide direct services like short-term housing support, uniforms, transportation, motel stays, summer programming, school supplies, and more. WHAT ADVOCATES ARE ASKING FOR: Advocates are asking Mayor Parker and the Philadelphia City Council Assembly for $3 million in General Funds to continue much of the expanded support for students experiencing homelessness. We are meeting with City Council and members of the Parker Administration to convince them of this needed support. ACTION ALERT: Contact the Mayor and City Council and ask them to “Fund homeless education by investing $3 million.” Contact Mayor Parker: Mayor’s correspondence form | Office of the Mayor | City of Philadelphia Contact City Council: Use their websites to send your message: Council Members - Philadelphia City Council (phlcouncil.com) Learn more about our school-based programs here  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. 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!
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.  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.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Did you know that 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experiences mental illness each year? Let's raise awareness and promote understanding. Remind yourself to take moments for self-care, reach out for support, and remember, you are not alone.
Let's join hands to spread awareness and support for mental health in Philadelphia. Together, we can break the stigma and foster a community of understanding and empathy. Let's prioritize self-care and kindness, not just this month, but always. If you are having a mental health, substance use, or suicidal crisis, call 988. May 2, 2024
Representatives of the local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) have been protesting the construction happening at 38th & Lancaster Avenue this week. HopePHL divested from the property at 3748-3750 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia three years ago, but does remain a minority, passive owner in the housing being developed. At our insistence via a deed restriction, 10% of the housing here will be affordable at 80% of the area median income level. All contractors were selected after a fair bidding process, and several union contractors were selected. HopePHL understands IBEW’s position as we also believe in the advantages of the development of skilled tradespeople, a diverse workforce, and the protections of workers. |
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