From Philadelphia Media Network: Ten years ago, the Rev. Adan Mairena decided to leave the Main Line majesty of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church to minister to people living in poverty in Kensington. (Read more.)
From Philadelphia Media Network: Black and Hispanic Americans are less likely to smoke cigarettes than white Americans. Yet once they’ve started, they’re more likely to stay hooked. National data show they successfully quit only about half as often as white smokers. (Read more.)
From Philadelphia Media Network: Our money bail system is a travesty. Every day in Philadelphia, people who are accused but not convicted of a crime are held in jail not because they are guilty, but because they are too poor to purchase their freedom. Judges here routinely put a price on a person’s liberty, and it is often one they cannot afford. One in four people is assigned money bail of $50,000 or more. (Read more.)
From Philadelphia Media Network: After interviewing almost 700 people at similar levels of poverty, the evidence is clear: If people experience discrimination by the police or courts, they report rates of food insecurity twice as high (26 percent) as those who have not (13 percent). The same is true for moms who have applied for a job, or been discriminated against on the job, in school, and while trying to get health care. (Read more.)
From Billy Penn: Between Dec. 3, 2018, and Jan. 24, 2019, we’re accepting short proposals for initiatives, campaigns, social enterprises, technology platforms and other new solutions that use food, culinary or agricultural-based solutions to address pervasive hunger and its underlying causes for too many of our region’s residents. (Read more.)
From Generocity: The processes that undocumented families must follow can be confusing and at times can deter them from seeking assistance. Misinformation about who is qualified for certain benefits is a problem and can influence a fear of being deported. (Read more.)
Broke in Philly has been nominated for best “Investigative Work of the Year” for the Philadelphia News Awards hosted by the Pen and Pencil Club. If you have enjoyed the collaborative economic justice reporting project involving 21 media outlets and organizations vote now. (Read more.)
From The Philadelphia Citizen: As we head into the holidays, it’s a good time to consider what we all can do to relieve the effects of poverty for some of the 400,000 residents living below the poverty line in Philly, now and into the next year. (Read more.)
From the Philadelphia Media Network: City officials say Philadelphia’s public library system has a green light to hire dozens of new employees by year’s end and extend service hours at a dozen branches, but advocates maintain that the system needs a more dedicated and robust funding stream to help it grow and thrive. (Read more.)
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