Kensington: First Time Home Buyer Workshop Proves Valuable Resource For Locals
For many, owning a first home is a big part of the American Dream. In Philadelphia, that dream is less of a reality than other cities in the country. According to public data sources gathered by Data USA, only 52.6 percent of homes in Philadelphia were occupied by their owner in 2015, more than 10 percent […]
Kensington: “It’s Not Just A Gurney Street Thing.”
Prevention Point Philadelphia has opened a year-round respite at its center in Kensington as a direct response to the City of Philadelphia’s decision to close down and clean up encampments along the Gurney Street Corridor. The organization has been doing winter respite for the past three years, but as of July 31 its doors are […]
Social Issues: Councilwoman María Quiñones-Sánchez Talks Income Inequality
María Quiñones-Sánchez took office 10 years ago representing District 7 in Philadelphia City Council. Long considered a party outsider, it is not uncommon to find her battling politically with Latino leaders in her own neighborhood, as well as other council members. Her sprawling council district is comprised of a wide area, covering all or parts […]
Kensington: A Free More-Than-Just-Soccer Camp
As the sun rises on Hissey Playground at C Street and Indiana Avenue there’s usually a bit of a mess. Being in the shadow of the unofficial heroin capital of the region, Department of Recreation personnel must take care of cleaning up the needles, baggies and bottles that found their way to the sports field […]
Kensington: “I see the impact on a person to person level often, just in individual stories.”
Renee Horst (left) is a staff member with the New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC) and a member of the community engagement team who oversees the Farm to Families Pick Up. That program provides fresh, organic produce and meat from the Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative to members of the Kensington and Fishtown community. Can you […]
Arts & Entertainment: Rock To The Future Providing More Than Music Education to Philly Youth
When Rock to the Future was started seven years ago, it had one clear goal in mind. The Kensington-based non-profit wanted to provide Philly youth an opportunity to learn instruments with after-school programs and summer camps, but the work has gone further than teaching children ins and outs of rock ‘n’ roll. “We saw the need in […]
Harrowgate: Outsiders Pitch In When Locals Don’t
Longtime community members fight for their neighborhood one block at a time in Harrowgate. Repelling drug dealers, moving addicts along and fighting opportunistic slumlords starts less with city-wide policy and more with in-person communication and leading by example. Local civic association leaders like Shannon Farrell and Jim Ridgway do it neighborhood-wide. But it’s the block captains […]
East Kensington: Uniting Community With Arts Festival
The East Kensington Neighbors Association addresses several important issues going on in its own neighborhood every third Monday of each month at Philadelphia Brewing Company. All East Kensington residents are welcomed to attend the meetings and take part in changes being made in the community. Onias Timothy Dickson, 32, was initially summoned to attend these […]
Northwest Philadelphia: Jumpstart Germantown Looks to Revitalize the Community One Property at a Time
Jumpstart Germantown is a redevelopment program that was established in April, 2014 by Mount Airy real estate developer Ken Weinstein. The organization tackles the problems of blighted properties in the Northwest by training a new generation of developers how to invest in and revitalize real estate. “I liked taking junk, something like old buildings, and doing […]
Kensington: Artists’ Space Aims To Provide Unique And Challenging Programming To Community
Hidden within a corner of the historic Viking Mill in Kensington is an artists’ space that member Terrill Warrenburg said is named for “the post-World War II period in Germany, a time where artists were able to freely expressive themselves and creatively flourish.” “The original founders of Little Berlin wanted to tap into that ‘anything goes’ […]