This week, a ribbon was cut at the newly constructed Maguire Residence in Kensington, a housing facility for people who previously experienced homelessness. The 42-unit apartment complex has been completely full for a year, with a waiting list. | From: WHYY (Read more.)
The deployment of social-outreach workers on SEPTA transit is set to increase eight fold. | From: The Inquirer (Read more.)
Color Me Back is a component of Mural Arts’ Porchlight initiative, creating public art projects in partnership with the city’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services. | From: WHYY (Read more.)
I don’t think Philadelphia is doing enough to stop drug use and homelessness. | From: PlanPhilly (Read more.)
At the epicenter of the region’s opioid and homelessness crisis, the River Wards have been all but abandoned by city leaders. But does the City already have a solution to the problem? | From: The Citizen (Read more.)
People experiencing homelessness with their pets can find refuge at the Sacred Heart Residence operated by Philadelphia’s Project HOME. | From: The Inquirer (Read more.)
The pandemic has disrupted every facet of our lives, in ways both benign (toilet paper shortages) and drastic (currently 8.7 million unemployed in the U.S.). Families across the nation have been devastated by loss and hardship. And the crisis has brought renewed urgency to conversations around expanding government support and the social safety net. | From: Next City (Read more.)
Community leaders gathered on a muggy Wednesday morning at Harrowgate Park to celebrate what city officials called a first-of-its-kind grant program meant to strengthen Kensington.
A panel composed entirely of residents chose 20 groups serving people in Kensington, Harrowgate and Fairhill to receive a total of $200,0000. The participatory process took nearly two years.
The neighborhoods have been ravaged by an epidemic of homelessness, crime and litter, all results of the opioid crisis, and long-term residents have for years urged the city to devote additional resources. | From Metro Philly (Read more.)
To mark the end of Pride month and the ongoing fight for adequate housing, members of the Philadelphia chapter of the HIV/AIDS activism organization ACT UP held a protest outside of Mayor Jim Kenney’s condo in Old City. Around 40 ACT UP members and activists gathered to demand more plentiful permanent housing for Philadelphians facing homelessness, many of whom are Black and Brown and LGBTQ+. They also called for an overhaul of the leadership of Philadelphia’s Office of Homeless Services (OHS). | From Philadelphia Gay News (Read more.)
Saying the state has to “think creatively,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation Wednesday to let hospitals build housing for people experiencing homelessness, a measure that supporters say represents an important step toward better health care.
The idea is that permanent, stable housing is a key to good health. People who are homeless are more likely to be hospitalized more often, to stay in the hospital longer once they’re there, and to require more care during treatment. | The Inquirer (Read more.)
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