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, […]

Image above used under license from Daniel Beckemeier stock.adobe.com. Last week, the City Council met to discuss alternatives to trash incineration. Councilmember Jamie Gauthier has been working to halt trash incineration entirely with the Stop Trashing Our Air Act. If passed, it would ban Philadelphia from burning any collected trash. Currently, 40% of Philadelphia’s trash […]

Imagine not having a grocery store nearby where you can easily pick up fresh, affordable food. For some neighbors, this means taking two buses or a long drive just to reach a full-service supermarket or farmers market. For others, it means stretching a fixed income or relying on SNAP (food stamps) to ensure there is […]

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, […]

image above courtesy of Baker Industries Allyson Gross began working as a line assembly lead at Baker Industries in September 2024. She had recently been released from incarceration for manufacturing or possession with intent to deliver and was seeking employment. A contact at Baker Industries referred her, and she immediately heard back after filling out […]

When you ask Carniesha Kwashie where her story begins, she does not start with a job title or a program name. She starts at her grandparents’ kitchen table. “I came into the world knowing I was loved,” she says. “I never doubted it. My grandparents, my parents, my aunts and uncles – they poured so […]

image above from 2026 PIT Count  What is Homelessness? Safe, stable, and affordable housing is not a luxury – it is a basic human necessity. While some dehumanize or overlook homeless people, I see them as neighbors – worthy of respect, compassion, and equally important as others in our community. No one deserves a […]

About three years ago, Mekia Elizabeth Matthews was gifted a community space by a neighbor. She decided to turn it into an afterschool space for the children in her neighborhood.  She lives in Harmony Hill, the neighborhood surrounding Fernhill park in Southwest Germantown and the after school program is called the Harmony Home Team. The […]

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 […]