The city’s Restore Kensington Action Plan, which was shared with Kensington Voice on July 28, echoes most of the councilmember’s plan. The city’s action plan is broken up into four goals with 15 action items: connect individuals to services, increase access to housing, increase public safety, and increase quality of life. | From: Kensington Voice (Read more.)
In March, as shutdowns were beginning, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission passed protections so that companies cannot shut off customers’ water, gas, heat, electricity, and telecommunications services even if they cannot pay their monthly bills due to the pandemic. | From: The Philadelphia Inquirer (Read more.)
About 40 members of District 1199C, National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees, were joined by state and local officials Tuesday morning on the steps of Temple University Hospital at Broad and Ontario streets to demand hazard pay for the 800 patient-care technicians, attendants and administrative assistants 1199C represents at Temple. | From: WHYY (Read more.)
Racial disparities have been evident, in Philadelphia and elsewhere, since the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, the city’s Department of Public Health released its “Coronavirus Interim Racial Equity Plan” in an attempt to eliminate or shrink those inequities. | From: Metro Philly (Read more.)
PHA’s aggressive, short-sighted response –– to threaten the organizers with legal action, and intimidate protesters off the property with its private police force –– has crystallized what those facing housing instability have said for years. Neither it, nor Philly lawmakers, have a sound plan for helping low-income or homeless residents find safe housing, or for keeping Black and Brown residents in the neighborhoods they’ve long called home. | From: The Philadelphia Inquirer (Read more.)
Public health predictions indicate that COVID-19 will continue to take a toll on our families and economy well into next year. Our elected officials need to plan for that scenario. We need to do everything possible to make sure people have a roof over their heads next week, then next month, and beyond. | From: The Philadelphia Inquirer (Read more.)
90,000 people in Pennsylvania have filed for benefits between March 15 and June 20 and still haven’t gotten paid — or even denied. Complaints about the stubborn backlog, which amounts to 8% percent of claims filed during that period, prompted a Philadelphia congressman to suggest this month that the state call in the National Guard to help process claim. | From: The Philadelphia Inquirer (Read more.)
As a source of relief for those who lost jobs and income during the pandemic, Congress passed the CARES Act in March and activated an additional $600 per week in benefits for people who qualified for unemployment. That $600 bonus ended late last week and means significant changes to come for the more than 25 million people who received it. | From: Technical.ly Philly (Read more.)
Like many valuable functionary positions orbiting city government, the current Landlord and Tenant Officer, lawyer Marisa Silberstein Shuter, has family ties: She is married to Municipal Court Judge David C. Shuter, who personally presides over certain eviction cases, and is the daughter of that court’s former President Judge, Alan K. Silberstein. Legal observers say the arrangement is reflective of a larger culture of nepotism within the courts and presents a serious conflict of interest. | From: PlanPhilly (Read more.)
Kate Jacoby and Rich Landau have decided to close their more casual concept, V Street. This comes amid attempts from a coalition of former and current Vedge and V Street employees organizing for better working conditions ahead of a planned reopening. | From: Philadelphia Magazine (Read more.)
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