HOMEBUYING SCAMS

New legislation to limit predatory homebuyers

Many homeowners in Philadelphia receive repeated calls, letters, and visits from “We Buy Houses” residential property wholesalers offering cash to buy their homes or other property they own. Often, these wholesalers target people who are going through financial hardship and use high-pressure tactics to convince homeowners to sign agreements to sell. They target homeowners in neighborhoods with rising home values, especially in Black and Latinx communities.
These wholesalers often offer far less than the actual value of their property. As a result, long-time homeowners lose valuable wealth and family homes are lost. Before You Sell, Get Your Intel: Homebuying Scams FAQ

Legislation in City Council would curb the worst abuses in this industry.

Community Legal Services would like to hear from you if you or anyone you know has been affected by these "We Buy Houses" wholesalers. Available flyer in English and Spanish.

More details here.

Register to Vote NOW!!!

• Monday, October 19th is the last day to register to vote, or update/check your registration. Do that NOW at a county election office or online here.
  

• Time is running out: Visit One-Stop (Satellite Offices) locations that are available where you can register, request mail ballot and drop it off all at once. See article below for more details.
  

• Already mailed your ballot, track it here. If you have not mailed your ballot yet, then visit a drop off box or satellite office.
  Call this number: 215-686-3940, if the website to track you ballot is down.
  

• If you plan to vote in person on November 3rd: use your address to find your polling place. There are fewer polling places in the neighborhood than in past elections.

---

Want to be a poll worker? Philly says it’s responding to ‘unprecedented’ number of applicants
Ximena Conde, WHYY When the Philadelphia City Commissioners put out the call in August asking young people to work the polls for the Nov. 3 election, 18-year-old Abigail Thomas didn’t think twice. According to Kevin Feeley, a spokesman for the city, neither did 20,000 other people and it’s taking some time to sort through all of those applications. But even when all 8,500 workers are assigned to polling locations, the thousands of applicants who don’t make the cut shouldn’t expect an email saying their services won’t be required, according to City Commissioner Omar Sabir. He said that’s because he wants to retain some flexibility should a large group of people call out. “[Applicants] could get an email on Election Day,” said Sabir, adding poll workers are not being picked on a first-come, first-served basis.
The city chooses poll workers based on language skills they can use to help voters whose first language isn’t English, as well as their proximity to the polling location. Sabir said poll workers who live near the polling location are more likely to show up on Election Day.

Read here.

---

Everything Pa. poll watchers can — and can’t — do on Election Day, explained
Joseph Darius Jaafari and Emily Previti, WITF

State Democrats and Republicans are training a small army of partisan poll watchers to be their eyes and ears at voting sites across the state, a typical and legal process that allows both parties to monitor activities on Election Day and flag potential problems. Polling places are generally intended to be safe spaces devoid of political influence, allowing people to cast their ballot freely and without fear. So what exactly is a poll watcher? What are they allowed to do? And what actions could get someone in trouble?
Here’s everything you need to know about poll watchers before you vote.

New Deadline for the 2020 Census!!

UPDATE on the new deadline for the 2020 Census and what you can do to help us make a final and urgent push to Get Out the Count

1. As of right now, internet self-response will continue being available across the nation through Thursday, October 15 until 11:59 PM Hawaii Standard Time, or 6:00 AM on Friday, October 16 Eastern Daylight Time. Visit 2020census.gov to respond TODAY.
   

2. Responding to the census by phone will be available for its regularly scheduled time from 7 AM to 2 AM on October 15. Call 844-330-2020 to respond to the census by phone, or click here for a list of phone numbers in 13 other languages.
   

3. Paper responses must be postmarked by tomorrow, Thursday, October 15.
   

4. Enumerators will continue their nonresponse follow up activities through the end of the day on Thursday, October 15.

There’s still time to help Get Out the Count in Philly!

Join Philly Countsfor phone bank parties from 6-8 PM tonight and tomorrow night. Please see below for details and registration links:

Phone Bank with Philly Counts!

• Today, 10/14
  6-8 PM
  Click here to register!
  

• Thursday, 10/15
  6-8 PM
  Click here to register!

Take Action Online! Remind Your Friends, Family, and Followers.
If you regularly open this email, hopefully your household has already completed the Census. And maybe you are a little tired of reading about it week after week? Or maybe enumerators have come to your door repeatedly. During dinner.

BUT the Final Deadline is TOMORROW!!

The bad news is thatless than 54% of households in many parts of Old/South Kensington have responded.This response is nearly 10% lower than 2010 numbers. The result will be less funding and less representation for our neighborhood and our city at a really critical time in history.

So please complete your census and consider taking the time to make sure your friends and neighbors have done the same. Especially if you live in an apartment or condo building where enumerators have not been able to knock on doors.


For a more detailed news read the official statementfrom the U.S. Census Bureau..

Clerical Assistants to help staff and open satellite election offices, hiring immediately

The City of Philadelphia, partnering with the Philadelphia City Commissioners, is hiring Clerical Assistants to help staff and open satellite election offices, hiring immediately.

Clerical Assistants will engage in a variety of clerical tasks, including but not limited to: data entry and processing, filing, and proof reading. Candidates should be knowledgeable of:

• Office practices and procedures

• The English language, spelling, and general clerical procedures

• Arithmetic

• Basic computing including Microsoft office applications

Additional requirements:

• Applicants must be 18 years of age or older

• Must be a Philadelphia resident

• Must be willing to work a full-time schedule

If interested in applying, please follow this link: Click here

Covid-19 Testing @ Norris Square

For appointments please call 267-436.312

SEPTA Survey to Help to Improve Their Service

SEPTA is redesigning the signage for its “Rail Transit” network to make sure riders have consistent information where and when they need it. You may not know what we mean by rail transit, and that’s something we want to fix. It refers to the Market-Frankford Line, Broad Street Line, City Trolleys, Media-Sharon Hill Lines, and Norristown High Speed Line.
We’re still early in the process, so right now we’re focused on collecting as much information as possible about current signage and communications on the Rail Transit Network.

Please take this survey (also in Spanish) to share your perspective and sign up for updates

Plan, Prepare, Protect

To connect to Plan, Prepare, Protect Virtual Tour use the Zoom information provided below.

The Tangled Title Fund (TTF)is a grant program to help preserve affordable housing, prevent homelessness, and strengthen communities.

More details here.

OSL Green: La Esquina Community Garden

Funny you should ask. Here are some recent photographs to give a hint of what’s still to come! Plus a few things that are coming into their own, at the tail end of the summer growing season.
A couple of first-year (think freshmen?! :-) fruit bushes were planted in the spring: a fig and some blackberry and raspberry bushes. They both are doing extremely well, which is exciting to think about for next year and coming years. And each of them produced one fruit. So cute, so amazing. I didn't get a photo of the little fig, but here's one of the little raspberry.

Click here to view the news.

Voting: Important deadlines

October 19 is the last day to register to vote.

October 27 last day to request a mail in ballot, but USPS recommends no later than Oct. 19.

DO. NOT. WAIT.

Visit a satellite election office location where you can go to register to vote, request a mail-in ballot, receive your ballot, vote, and return it, all in one visit.

Online/Absentee Ballot Tracking, click here.

Procrastinator’s guide to the 2020 general election in Philadelphia
Max Marin, Michaela Winberg, Layla A. Jones, and Mikyhial Clarke, BillyPenn.
A cheat sheet for what you need to know to cast your vote.
More here.

REGISTE TO VOTE @ SKCP

For more information contact

rdavis@southkensingtoncommunity.org

Your Last Chance for the Next 10 Years

If you regularly open this email, hopefully your household has already completed the Census. And maybe you are a little tired of reading about it week after week? Or maybe enumerators have come to your door repeatedly. During dinner. The good news then is that these pleas will end soon, once the Final Deadline of OCTOBER 31st is reached. The bad news is that, as of this week, less than 54% of households in many parts of Old/South Kensington have responded. This response is nearly 10% lower than 2010 numbers. The result will be less funding and less representation for our neighborhood and our city at a really critical time in history. So please complete your census and consider taking the time to make sure your friends and neighbors have done the same. Especially if you live in an apartment or condo building where enumerators have not been able to knock on doors.

Join Us For A Volunteer Shift This Weekend!

As we continue our urgent work towards a complete and accurate count in Philadelphia, we want to make sure that you’re signed up and ready to volunteer with us this weekend!
We will be out all weekend to distribute census materials and help people complete the census at early voting sites throughout the city. Morning shifts from 9:30am - 12:30pm and afternoon shifts from 12:30 - 3:30pm are still available!

Weekend Volunteer Opportunities

• Saturday, October 10th

Volunteer to help residents fill out their 2020 census!
Early Voting Site
9:30 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. (3 hour shift)
Register here!

• Sunday, October 11th

Volunteer to help residents fill out their 2020 census!
Early Voting Site
9:30 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. (3 hour shift)
Register here!

Do you know of any places we should consider in our engagement schedule? Use this link to submit a location. We will work to assign Philly Counts staff, volunteers, or a Census Bureau representative to attend to help folks complete the 2020 Census.

FREE FOOD PICKUP

FREE Boxes of Food every Saturday in October
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.

Poll Workers Needed!!

Poll workers are key to any efficient election and we need your help recruiting people to be poll workers.

• What: Sign up to be a poll worker on election day.

• Who: Anyone who is 18 years old and registered to vote can be a poll worker.

• When: Tuesday, November 3rd from 6:00am until the ballots are picked up at the end of the night.

• Where: Polling locations will be assigned by the City Commissioners office

• Why: Poll workers are essential to an efficient election. You can help make sure everyone can vote quickly and easily on election day.

• How: Sign up online and share on social media.

Poll workers receive a stipend for their time. Training is available online and in person.

TALLER is an Access Center

If your child needs supervision and access to the the internert,
Taller can help. Please select Taller Puertorriqueño at "El Corazon Cultural", 2600 North 5th Street as your child's access center.

As an access center Taller offers your child:

• Supervision during digital learning time.

• Meals

• Run activities

Access Centers are:

• Designed to serve our most vulnerable children.

• Available by registration only. Access Centers are not drop-in sites.

• Free of charge.

• Open to Philadelphia students entering kindergarten through sixth grade.

Learn more about Access Centers here. Space is still available!

Register

Centers in the neighborhood (this finder can help you find an Access Center in Philadelphia):

• John F Street Center 1100 Poplar Street.

• Ramonita G. de Rodriguez 600 W. Girard Ave.

• R.W. Brown Community Center 1701 North 8th Street.

• Norris Square Community Alliance (Main Office) 2014 North Mascher Street.

The new COVID-19 app: the promises and the tradeoffs

As we wait for scientists to produce a COVID-19 vaccine, contract tracing is one of the most reliable ways to stop the spread. Now, Pennsylvania and Delaware have also released a new “exposure notification app” to let users know if they’ve been near someone who’s tested positive for the virus. New Jersey is piloting its app on college campuses.
WHYY health and science reporter Alan Yu explains this could help reach people traditional contact tracing isn’t — but there’s a tradeoff: The privacy protections put in place to convince more people to download the app could make it much more difficult to know how effective it is.

Hear the whole story on The Why.

Contact Tracing Update (Week Ending 9/26): Of 664 cases reported and not managed by partner organizations: 64 percent were reached and agreed to participate; 7 percent did not have a phone; 21 percent were unable to be reached; 3 percent refused; and 5 percent of cases were closed because of a long delay from test to initial report. Of the contacts named, 74 percent were reached & agreed to quarantine

Town Hall: Covid Outreach Series

Tenants rights guide: What if your landlord is selling your rental?

Nick Vadala, Philadelphia Inquirer

For many renters, it’s among the worst-case scenarios: Your landlord notifies you that the property you’re renting has been put up for sale. Of course, landlords have the right to sell their property. But just because your house or apartment is going on the market doesn’t necessarily mean you’re out on the street right away. As with other landlord-tenant issues, it’s a process. So, what happens when your landlord sells your rental, and what does that mean for your lease?

Here is what you need to know.

Mail voting works, but what if you applied for a ballot and now want to vote in person?

Michaela Winberg. BillyPenn

If you ballot got lost, didn’t arrive, or you just prefer to head to the polls, here are your options.
If you applied for a mail ballot but decided you want to vote in person instead, you’re not alone.
To be very clear: the mail voting system is legit. This is the first general election with no-excuse mail ballots in Pennsylvania, but vote-by-mail has been around for years in many U.S. states, and went off without a hitch before the coronavirus was a twinkle in 2020’s eye. Nationwide, there is almost no evidence of mail voting fraud. In Pa., just gotta make sure your ballot isn’t naked — aka that it’s sealed in the secrecy envelope and the outer postal envelope — and then sign the back, and everything should work just fine. Even this late in the game, Pennsylvanians who were planning to cast ballots remotely can switch to doing it in person, if that makes you feel more comfortable.

Here’s what you need to know.

Your Last Chance for the Next 10 Years

If you regularly open this blog, hopefully your household has already completed the Census. And maybe you are a little tired of reading about it week after week? Or maybe enumerators have come to your door repeatedly. During dinner. The good news then is that these pleas will end soon, once the final deadline is reached. The bad news is that, as of this week, less than 54% of households in Old/South Kensington have responded. This response is nearly 10% lower than 2010 numbers. The result will be less funding and less representation for our neighborhood and our city at a really critical time in history. So please complete your census and consider taking the time to make sure your friends and neighbors have done the same. Especially if you live in an apartment or condo building where enumerators have not been able to knock on doors.There are 3 days left.

---

More than 40% of Philadelphians still need to be counted in the #2020Census. One of our seats in Congress are on the line.
Fill it out now: my2020census.gov #PhillyCounts.

Take part in the action! click here for options you can sign in.

DA's Virtual Town Hall Meeting

INVITATION: DA's Office September 29th (11am) Virtual Town Hall - Services to Seniors

On behalf of G. Lamar Stewart, Chief of Community Engagement at the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, I am pleased to invite you to our next Virtual Community Stakeholders Town Hall. The Virtual Town Hall for community leaders and stakeholders in Philadelphia's East, Northeast and Northwest Police Divisions will be taking place via Zoom next Tuesday (September 29th) from 11:00am - 12:30pm.

The topic of this month's Virtual Town Hall is "Services and Support for Seniors." First Assistant District Attorney Carolyn Temin, Supervisors from the Elder Justice and Private Criminal Complaint Units, and subject-matter experts from partner agencies will serve as panelists at this month's Virtual Town Hall. They will be sharing information about how the DA's Office seeks to protect and support Philadelphia's senior citizens, and will provide information about various resources and services available to Philadelphia seniors. They are also looking forward to answering questions submitted by attendees in advance of next Tuesday's Virtual Town Hall.

Please RSVP via e-mail (Seth.Myers@phila.gov) if you are interested and able to participate in next Tuesday's Virtual Community Stakeholders Town Hall. We are asking that all attendees submit one question for our panelists to respond to during the call. Please submit your question to me via e-mail at your earliest convenience.