An emergency relief fund launched during the coronavirus pandemic is paying out $4 million to hundreds of cultural organizations and more than 1,000 individual artists in the Philadelphia region. | From: WHYY (Read more.)
Last week, the City held a press conference to announce its plans for addressing an inevitable heat wave amid the pandemic. But most of the City’s current plans seemed to fall short of what will be needed to keep vulnerable populations safe. | From: Philadelphia Magazine (Read more.)
Shopping at and supporting Black-owned businesses is one step we can all take to begin confronting racial economic inequity. | From: Philadelphia Magazine (Read more.)
This week, the city begins accepting applications for the Philadelphia Worker Relief Fund. It’s a $1.7 million pot of money that will provide $800 one-time cash payments to thousands of families left behind by other government aid programs. | From: Billy Penn (Read more.)
The pandemic was the justification Wolf used in his announcement on July 9 of a new executive order extending his eviction and foreclosure moratorium to Aug. 31 statewide. But while advocates statewide are thankful for the governor’s continued moratorium, they know it’s still only a temporary reprieve from eviction. | From: AL DÍA (Read more.)
Playstreets works as an extension of the federal free lunch program designed to provide meals to kids during the summer. But this year, one third of the blocks in the program —100 out of 310 — will receive tents and patio umbrellas, misting fans, super soakers, a water jug, water balloons and neck cooling rags. | From: PlanPhilly (Read more.)
Landlord-tenant court had been set to reopen on July 6th after a nearly four month interregnum caused by the coronavirus outbreak. But resurgent virus cases and other issues led to a Thursday administrative order from the city’s First Judicial District, extending the shutdown through September 2nd for any “nonemergency business.” | From: PlanPhilly (Read more.)
Following Philadelphia’s stay-at-home order to curb the spread of COVID-19, the program began to distribute boxes of fresh groceries, produce, and dry goods, every Tuesday. The group has given out upwards of 100,000 pounds of food as the program aims to help connect neighbors with resources. | From: Kensington Voice (Read more.)
The abrupt changes to the Philadelphia Cultural Fund— from Mayor Jim Kenney completely defunding it to City Council bringing back about one-third of its usual budget — have left community organizations scrambling to figure out how their programming will survive next year. | From: Kensington Voice (Read more.)
The Homeowners Association of Philadelphia, or HAPCO, filed suit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania over the Emergency Housing Protection Act, which was signed into law by Mayor Jim Kenney last week. That legislation extended an eviction moratorium while creating repayment and diversion plans as alternatives for tenants behind on rent through Aug. 31. | From: PlanPhilly (Read more.)
© Resolve Philadelphia
