myPLACE is your place for education!

Shelby Fisk Office of Children and Families

Ten locations across the City help adults earn a high school diplomas and get ready for the workplace. The City of Philadelphia’s Office of Children and Families supports the myPLACE network, which offers adult education and career readiness classes across the city of Philadelphia. Free classes are available, and online class options are available during COVID-19.
Are you looking to:

• take classes to earn your high school diploma?

• gain a GED/HiSET, or an equivalent?

• brush up on your math and reading skills?

• take English language classes?

• or, sharpen your digital literacy skills?

If you answered yes to any of the above, get started through myPLACE! Details here.

Rebuild accepting applications

Skilled Trades Trainees, Rebuild
City of Philadelphia

Rebuild is currently accepting applications from individuals interested in careers in the following trades: bricklaying, carpentry, cement masonry, electrical, elevator construction, finishing trades (painting, drywall finishing, glazing, etc.), insulating, ironworking, masonry, plastering, plumbing, roofing, sheet metal work, sprinkler fitting, and tile setting.
This posting is for a workforce development training program operated by the City of Philadelphia. It is not a posting for City employment.
Applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis.

Click here for details.

FREE Boxes of Food every Saturday

1501 Germantown Avenue
(Parking Lot of Al Aqsa Islamic Academy)
Starting at 4 pm

No ID or proof of income is needed. Distribution is "first come first serve" so it is best to arrive as close to 4 pm as possible. One allotment per family but you can pick up for an elder or neighbor. Offerings vary by week but can include fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, bread, chicken, and eggs. Masks are required and we ask that you maintain social distancing to protect yourself, our neighbors and volunteers.

We are able to do some local deliveries (19122/23): Please leave a message at 215-427-3463.

THANK YOU to the City of Philadelphia and the Share Food Program and our partners The Arab American CDC. Much appreciation to neighborhood businesses Al Amana Grocery, Lost Bread, and Punch Buggy for their generous donations of time, space and product.

SURVEYS!!

The Voter Experience Survey is designed to identify issues voters encounter when voting in-person or via mail-in ballot. Specific issues covered by the survey include: voting wait time, electioneering inside polling places, voter registration, voter ID for first-time voters, voting machines, voter assistance, language access, poll worker performance and confidence in the election process.

COMPLETE THE JUNE 2, 2020 VOTER SURVEY

COMPLETE LA ENCUESTA DE VOTANTES DEL 2 DE JUNIO DE 2020

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Take our survey to share what resources you'd need to reopen safely.

As City of Philadelphia Government plans for a phased reopening, we want to hear from business owners. Business owners in Philadelphia and the surrounding region are encouraged to fill out a new survey about the resources they may need to reopen safely.
The survey is available in:

• English.

• Mandarin.

• Spanish.

City of Philadelphia Resources & Information Available

Find free meals for students while schools are closed. March 14, 2020
Sarah Reyes Office of Children and Families, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Office of the Mayor

To ensure that students can still have nutritious meals while all schools are closed, the School District of Philadelphia, several charter schools, and the Philadelphia Housing Authority are coordinating with the City’s Office of Children and Families to provide grab-and-go meals for children and youth throughout the city.
Beginning Monday, March 23, families can pick up meals at 80 locations listed here.. Please note the new schedule and locations.
Meals are available from 9 a.m. to noon only. All children and youth are eligible, and no ID is required.

What’s open, closed, or canceled at Parks & Rec sites
Darren Fava, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

Here’s the latest update from Philadelphia Parks & Recreation about what’s open to the public, and what’s not.

These actions are part of the City’s effort to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus in Philadelphia.

Please note that the information applies through at least Friday, March 27. A precise end date has not been determined. Note that the meal distribution at Recs has been cancelled.

More details click here.

Utilities and Housing

• PECO suspends shut-offs and late fees till May 1, click here.

• PWD is suspending water service shut offs and restoring water service through May 15th, click here.

• Public Utilities Commission (PUC): PUC Prohibits Utility Terminations, Consistent with Governor’s Proclamation of Disaster Emergency Related to Covid19, click here.

• Foreclosure and Evictions suspended for 60 days, click here.

• PHA suspending evictions

Pennsylvania Workers Affected by COVID-19 May be Eligible for Unemployment and Workers’ Compensation Benefits. 03/16/2020

Harrisburg, PA – Workers in Pennsylvania who are impacted by COVID-19 may be eligible for Unemployment and Workers' Compensation benefits, Secretary of Labor & Industry (L&I) Jerry Oleksiak announced today.
Unemployment compensation claims should be submitted online for faster processing

More details here.

Using sick leave in Philadelphia, March 9, 2020
Sarah Reyes Board of Health, Department of Public Health, Mayor’s Office of Labor

Right to Sick Leave: Employers with 10 or more employees are required to provide paid sick leave, and employers with nine or fewer employees must allow unpaid leave. Infographics in English for workers and employers, and Spanish for workers and employers.
Click here to download the infographics in English and Spanish as PDF

More details click here.

Unemployment benefits in Pa. during the coronavirus pandemic: How to apply and who is eligible
Juliana Feliciano Reyes, Philadelphia Inquirer

If you’re one of the workers who has been affected by the pandemic — say, your employer had to shut down because of Mayor Kenney’s Monday order or you’re in self-quarantine and can’t work — there’s a good chance you’re eligible for unemployment benefits from the state.

More details here.

What you need to know about filing for unemployment in PA right now
Layla A. Jones, BillyPenn

You might be able to get benefits even if you’re not yet laid off. If you’re out of a job because of coronavirus-related business closures, you could get unemployment or worker’s comp pay. Apply for benefits immediately if you’re in that situation, Philly and Pennsylvania officials say. In the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the state has changed requirements so more people will qualify for benefits. Details here.