Immigration: Planting Seeds of Culture to Build Connections Amongst People
Elizabeth Taylor-Maid is a developer at Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating youth and adults on Arab culture. Through the arts, music and language, the organization hopes to raise cross-cultural awareness and debunk discrimination against Arabs as well as all immigrants living in the U.S. Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture has partnered with […]
Brewerytown: Greg Parker Gives Back To The Neighborhood That Raised Him
Greg Parker was born and raised in Brewerytown. As a young adult, he bought a property in his neighborhood for about $5,000 and sold it for $75,000. Parker feels he was a pioneer for the area, where he and his family usually work on flipping 15 to 20 properties at a time. But Parker’s impact […]
Social Issues: “There Is An Affordable Housing Crisis That Confronts The City In Some Real Ways.”
Kelvin Jeremiah, the president and CEO of the Philadelphia Housing Authority, has brought unique ideas from previous stops in Springfield, Massachusetts and New York City to help develop better living conditions for some of Philadelphia’s low-income citizens. How did you get started with the Philadelphia Housing Authority? So I came to the PHA about […]
How To: Overturn A Wrongful Conviction If Innocent
Innocent people get convicted for crimes they did not commit, but how often it happens is impossible to determine. The Philadelphia District Attorney’s office recently added to its Conviction Review Unit (CRU) in an effort to right the wrongful convictions of innocent people. This year it overturned the conviction of two people, including Shaurn Thomas […]
Social Issues: Office Of Homeless Services Strives To Transition People Off The Street
Native Philadelphian Liz Hersh is the director of the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Homeless Services. Prior to working for the city, Hersh ran the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania for 14 years. Her experience has given her insight working with Philadelphia’s homeless residents. What led you to this job as the director of the Office of […]
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 […]
Hunting Park: Casa Del Carmen Administrator Keeps Local Residents Connected And Informed
For the past two years, Christopher Gale has been serving as the administrator of Casa del Carmen, a branch of Catholic Social Services (CSS) which was founded to serve the Latino community in North Philadelphia. According to CSS records, Casa del Carmen impacted 21,387 people during the 2015-2016 fiscal year. If a client can’t come […]
Social Issues: “We’re Still There To Lift You Back Up And Figure Out What The Next Plan Is.”
Renee Hudson-Small has been the assistant director of Housing and Homeless Services, a division of Catholic Social Services (CSS), for just two years but she has worked in CSS for more than 25. Prior to making the move to Housing and Homeless Services, Hudson-Small worked with Family Service Centers in the community-based services division, as […]
How To: Qualify To Receive Financial Assistance For A Water Bill
When Councilwoman Maria D. Quiñones-Sánchez saw her constituent’s water bills, she knew she needed to act. Despite a new assistance plan in place, there were still people who owed thousands of dollars in late and overdue payments. “This is crazy,” Quiñones-Sánchez said. “This is a government owned utility. How did people get into this debt?” […]
Social Issues: Pew’s Larry Eichel Speaks About Population Shifts In The City And Neighborhoods
Larry Eichel has been the head of the Philadelphia Research Initiative at the Pew Charitable Trust for nine years. The nonprofit seeks to inform the conversation and highlight key issues to provide context for changes happening in Philadelphia. In his time there, Eichel has worked researching the city’s issues and demographics for the benefit of […]