Globally, GoFundMe campaigns this year raised more than $625 million for COVID relief, according to the company, and funding via this method outpaced last year by more than a third, per stats firm Fundera. | From: Billy Penn (Read more.)
The $900 billion package provides a $300-a-week subsidy to all workers receiving unemployment, on top of their regular benefits. It also renews two programs created in March by the CARES Act: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), which provides benefits for freelancers, the self-employed, and others who don’t qualify for traditional unemployment; and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), which extends benefits to workers after state aid has run out. | From: WHYY (Read more.)
The deal was simple: Property mogul Chris Rahn got to buy a bundle of 22 vacant, publicly owned lots on the cheap. In exchange, records show he was expected to build homes for the financially needy on eight of them. Five years on, most of those 22 lots — including one of the parcels where he’d agreed to build affordable housing — have been developed into apartments pulling in big rent checks. That’s because the officials who arranged the sale let him shirk his end of the bargain. | From: The Inquirer (Read more.)
The Task Force plans to spend the winter and early spring engaging artists and cultural workers on issues pertaining to arts in the city. Then, in April, they will offer City Council’s recommendations on how best to support Philadelphia artists and arts organizations through the pandemic and beyond. | From: WHYY (Read more.)
The quarantine space (for people who’ve already tested positive) is still operating, as opposed to the recently closed prevention space for people at risk. But the funding used to pay for it is not flexible, said city spokesperson Mike Dunn. | From: Billy Penn (Read more.)
That’s the reality for workers in the region’s warehouses and distribution centers responsible for moving an unprecedented volume of merchandise bought online at a time when in-person shopping carries risks. The overtime that workload requires is a boon to those financially struggling during the pandemic, noted Richard Hooker Jr., the top union official with Teamsters Local 623, which represents UPS workers in Philadelphia. Earning the extra pay, though, means taking health risks during a pandemic. | From: The Inquirer (Read more.)
SEPTA transit union TWU Local 234 says the authority is endangering riders and its workforce with a policy that disincentivizes workers from staying home to quarantine more than two times. | From: PlanPhilly (Read more.)
Unemployment is above 10 percent. Tax revenue and transit ridership remain down. The newest COVID stimulus bill doesn’t include aid for restaurants or city governments. But people are still buying things, and the Center City real estate market is hot. Here’s a sector-by-sector look at how the city is faring. | From: Philadelphia Magazine (Read more.)
Being an LGBTQ person in Pennsylvania means a greater chance of having serious health needs and less access to healthcare to meet those critical needs. So says the 2020 Pennsylvania LGBTQ Health Needs Assessment administered by the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, in partnership with Pennsylvania Department of Health and Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC). | From: Philadelphia Gay News (Read more.)
Business owners say revenue is down as much as 90%, and with holiday gatherings being discouraged, they’re holding their breath for spring. Meanwhile, according to interviews with workers, safety protocols put in place by many employers over the past six months were frequently ignored by clients and guests. | From: Billy Penn (Read more.)
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