Image above used under license from Einero/peopleimages at stock.adobe.com. Our education is a problem, experiences and moments I have had and been going through around this problem are gaining the skiIls that are needed to seek for my trucking career. The education I am receiving isn’t preparing me for the career I have selected.   For […]

As Philadelphia braces for a potential shift in federal HUD subsidies that could impact millions of families, the city’s current housing strategy faces a critical test. According to the National Housing law Project, if the proposed rule by HUD that is rooted in racist stereotypes is finalized, an estimated 3.3 million families will be at […]

Twenty years after a historic win granting transit access to Philadelphia students, Philadelphia has a new solution to fare card problems: warnings, police interaction, citations, court referrals, and potentially criminal records for children. Officials insist the goal is not to criminalize students. The first sentence of the policy says otherwise: not paying for SEPTA is […]

First introduced in New York City in the 1800s, a housing co-op (cooperative) is a building where residents receive a proprietary lease for a unit by purchasing shares in the corporation that owns the building. While a corporation owns the building, an elected board of residents maintains the property, approves new owners, and manages the governing […]

A problem my community faces is housing. Not everyone has a safe and stable place to live, and many people struggle daily to find a home they can afford. I believe everyone should have a fair chance to own a home. Housing should not be treated as something only for people with high incomes. It […]

Image above used under license from robert at stock.adobe.com. The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over, expecting different results. The introduction of Philadelphia’s new rideshare tax exemplifies this definition almost exactly. In an effort to bolster support for the School District of Philadelphia’s teachers and staff, Philadelphia’s mayor, Cherelle Parker, […]

In 2021, on the first day of school for my kindergartner, I entered the schoolyard excited to meet his teachers and introduce myself and my son. Instead, I found myself waiting with other anxious parents and their children. Not a single adult was in the schoolyard to welcome us into our new school community. Eventually, […]

Nearly one in five student loan borrowers in Pennsylvania is now in default, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education and the Education Data Initiative. At the same time, new federal laws and policies have reduced student loan relief for the lowest-income borrowers, making it even more difficult for people to manage their […]

Savage Sisters mobile outreach van, photo courtesy of  Georgiana Constantinescu   “Do you wish you worked in an office or something?” a rookie volunteer asked me as we were picking up wet garbage and syringes off Somerset Ave.  It was 11:45 pm on a Tuesday evening. We had a line of 50 people to serve, […]

The author, Jackie Saez, talks with residents during the Cure Violence summer basketball league in Kensington. Photo above courtesy of NKCDC As a Kensington native, I have lived the reality of food insecurity and have relied on food stamps at multiple stages of my life, including as a child, a college student, and a mother. […]