EVICTION DIVERSION PROGRAMS

Philadelphia City Council extends mandate that landlords use Eviction Diversion Program
Michaelle Bond, Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia will continue to require landlords to go to mediation with their tenants before filing for most residential evictions, a step that could help stem an expected tide of lockouts driven by the pandemic.
City Council extended through March 31 the requirement that landlords participate in the city’s Eviction Diversion Program. The mandate was scheduled to expire at the end of the month, when the city and federal eviction moratoriums also are set to expire. In the coming months, city officials will work out whether and how the diversion program will continue, most likely under the purview of the courts. Read here.

The Philadelphia Eviction Prevention Project is here to assist you.
Learn about your rights and responsibilities during the pandemic! TURN provides free, daily renters’ rights workshops on Zoom. Click here to register. If you would like to register by phone, call the Tenant Rights Hotline (267-443-2500) and press 3.
Workshops are held Monday-Friday at 12:30pm, Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:00pm, and Saturdays at 11:00am, except for major holidays.

Right now, a lot of tenants in Philadelphia want to know, like:

• Can I be evicted now?

• My landlord wants to evict me, what can I do?

• I need help paying my rent, what I can do?

• What about my utilities?

Read more here.

The City of Philadelphia’s Eviction Diversion Program enables landlords and tenants to arrive at an agreement that works for both parties, without having to go to Court. This program is required for all landlords with tenants who have had difficulty paying rent due to a COVID-19 related hardship. Benefits of diversion and mediation include helping tenants avoid an eviction, while also helping landlords avoid vacancies and unit turnover costs.
To schedule a mediation, landlords must first submit an application through the web portal (link here). Once it is confirmed that the application is complete, the landlord and tenant will be scheduled for a mediation within 30 days.
Apply here now!

La Esquina Garden Fundraising Campaign

3 days to go!!

$eedMoney fundraising campaign for La Esquina.

Here is the link to the page, which you can look at but won't be live till Sunday:

https://donate.seedmoney.org/5144/la-esquina-community-garden


This campaign will end on
Dec 15 2020 at 12:00 PM EST

Update: New Business Tax Relief

On December 1, the Department of Revenue announced the following three changes aimed at providing Philadelphia businesses with additional relief during the COVID-19 pandemic:

• Amending U&O guidance to exempt the portion of restaurants and bars used for indoor dining from Use & Occupancy Tax: This initiative will exempt restaurants and bars from Use & Occupancy tax on the square footage of the business used for indoor dining (dining room space) during the period when indoor dining is prohibited. This exemption is for this most recent “Safer at Home” phase and would be effective from November 20, 2020 through January 1, 2021.

• Businesses can amend BIRT returns and receive a refund: Under this initiative, the Revenue Department will provide guidance and instructions to businesses that if they feel they overestimated their 2020 BIRT estimated payment, they can amend the return and provide a new, more realistic, estimated payment and have the difference refunded. It would take six to eight weeks for businesses to receive refunds.

• Extending Refuse Fee due dates: Under this measure, the full $500 refuse fee is now due by June 30, 2021. Previously, half of the annual fee was due December 31, 2020.

NEW BUSINESS RECOVERY PAYMENT AGREEMENTS
Philadelphia businesses that were in compliance before the pandemic, but are now struggling to pay taxes, can take advantage of new payment agreements. Watch our video to learn about eligibility and flexible terms.
The City can also help businesses that were in a payment agreement – or that already owed taxes – before COVID-related closures. Go here to find an agreement that best fits your situation.

HOW TO FILE FOR A REFUND OF U&O TAXES
If your business is requesting a refund for Use & Occupancy (U&O) Tax because of COVID-19 closure orders, it is important to note that businesses must first amend their refund. The Philadelphia Department of Revenue has instructions on how to do this.

SKCP COMMUNITY ZONING VIRTUAL MEETING

Wednesday, DECEMBER 16th at 6.30 pm.

To register for the meeting click here.

You may also sign up by calling South Kensington Community Partners’ office at 215-427-3463 and leaving a message with your name and number. SKCP will provide reasonable accommodation to any neighbor that requests additional assistance with joining the meeting or otherwise submitting feedback on the project.click here

The sites to be discussed at the meeting are the following:

• 6.30pm 1652 N 2ND STREET, view here the plans.

• 7.00pm 1801-59 N AMERICAN STREET, view here the plans.

+ View here the projects.

We will have limited time for questions during the virtual meeting. To ensure your question is answered, please review project materials in advance of the meeting and submit any questions to rco@southkensingtoncommunity.org and include the project name in the email subject line.

SKCP VIRTUAL COMMUNITY MEETING

To register in advance click here

LIHEAP Information

HOUSING BENEFIT HELPER

The City's Department of Planning and Development (DPD) supports programs and services for residents across Philadelphia.
DPD's Housing Helper Benefit Tool is here to let you know what programs and services you may be qualified for! By answering a few short questions, you can learn how we may be able to help you as a homeowner or resident.

Housing Helper features:

• Basic System Repair Program (BSRP)

• Heater Hotline

• Adaptive Modification Program (AMP)

• UESF and ECA Utility assistance programs

• Restore, Repair, Renew Home Improvement Loan

• Philly First Home (this program is currently on hold)

• Housing Counseling

• Tangled Title

• Mortgage Foreclosure Assistance

Once you answer the questions, you will receive a list of programs. For most of the programs that you are eligible for someone will contact you. There are a few programs where you will have to contact the agency directly.
All results provided will include a name, number and website to begin the application process.
A link to the tool can be also found on the PHDC homepage https://phdcphila.org/.

Check it out today, and tell a friend!

SKCP Annual Fundraising 2020

Connecting our community to resources, opportunities, the land, and each other.

During these challenging and unprecedented times, South Kensington Community Partners has redoubled its efforts to connect our community with critical resources, whether it's distributing hundreds of food boxes to neighbors in need each week or connecting residents with programs to help prevent eviction/foreclosure or make needed home repairs.
Your support helps South Kensington Community Partners keep the lights on in our neighborhood office, reach more neighbors in need of support, and provide more cleaning and greening services throughout our service area.

We recognize that times are tough and greatly appreciate donations of any amount.

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.

WELCOME TO PA CAREERLINK®

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

LET'S GET YOU TO THE RIGHT PLACE

• I am an Individual
  Looking for a personalized approach to career and training services

• I am an Employer
  Looking for resources and support for my business or organization

• I am a Training Provider
  Looking to provide training for job seeker

More details here.

CHECK OUT SERVICES BY OUR PARTNER AGENCIES:

• PA COMPASS

• Employment & Training

• Apprenticeships

• Disability Services

• File an Unemployment Claim

• Unemployment Self-Service

FACE MASKS: What to know.

Face masks: Everything you need to know about buying, washing, replacing and wearing one.

Staff Reports, Philadelphia Inquirer

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Face masks are now a part of our daily lives.
Ever since guidance from Gov. Tom Wolf and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to cover our face to help keep ourselves (and others) safe, we’ve jury-rigged all kinds of face coverings, from using a scarf, to tying a bandanna, to sewing ourselves something fancy (and, if we can’t sew, using safety pins or any other MacGyvered attachments to keep the fabric from falling apart). That was fine at first. But now as the pandemic stretches into months, it’s a good time to pause and find some ways to make masks work better and be more comfortable.

We’ve gotten a lot of questions about how to do it better. Here’s everything you need to know about wearing a mask right now.

AmeriCorps members needed for contact tracing

CCCC Philadelphia COVID Response Corps

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) is seeking AmeriCorps members to help support contact tracing efforts. Contact tracing, a core disease control measure employed by public health personnel for decades, is a key strategy for preventing the further spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19.
AmeriCorps Members will rotate between service modules throughout their year including 1) contact tracing, isolation and quarantine support with PDPH or Public Health Management Corporation 2) Food access support at a food share program 3) service at a local health center.

Job description and details click here.

PHILLY Families Read Together

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

APM 50th Anniversary Virtual Speakers Series

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Re-Imagining Philadelphia - Steering Committee Application

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Are you interested in being part of a new initiative to lend your voice to city government decision-making?

The Philadelphia City Planning Commission maintains and updates the city’s comprehensive plan. As the Commission begins the next comprehensive planning process, one of the first steps is beginning a 12-18-month-long process of community engagement. We need 10-15 members of the public who will join members appointed from various city Advisory Commissions for the Re-Imagine Philadelphia Steering Committee, made up of about 40 people.
Who should apply:
∙ Any Philadelphia resident interested in creating processes for how our City Government interacts more authentically with residents
Accepted participants will receive a small stipend for their time and be expected to participate in 12 of 15 meetings (2 hours each) to be held between December 2020 and Spring 2022 (virtually for the foreseeable future).

Applications are due December 15, 2020. Click here for more details and to apply.

Philadelphia Fall Bioblitz

Click here for more information.
Follow us on social media @phillychc

Do No Harm: Community, cameras & respect

December 4th
4PM – 6PM
Presented by Philadelphia Photo Arts Center, Hidden River Films, Mural Arts Philadelphia, and Scribe Video Center.

Have you been filmed or photographed, with or without your permission, in a way that impacted your life?
Have you taken photographs or videos of people in Kensington?
Have images of Kensington colored the way you think about the community?

Join this community conversation about the role of cameras in the Kensington community; how they can harm and how they can help. Join neighbors and media professionals as we explore participatory methods of creating news stories, pictures and film and talk about how representation matters. As a follow-up, we will share insights we discover together in a poster campaign throughout the neighborhood.

This event will be held in English and Spanish. Click here to register.

Pathways to Reform, Transformation, & Reconciliation Community Engagement Series: Circles of Truths

Monday, November 30
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Join us for the first session of a community engagement series on police reform—Circles of Truths—hosted by the City of Philadelphia's Pathways to Reform, Transformation, and Reconciliation.
This virtual event will center around truth-sharing, grief and building a space for healing, discussion, and listening as we work towards building an equitable future for all. The series' opening session will center on addressing and repairing harm, and gathering collaborative feedback. Moving forward, it will focus on fostering relationships, community building and the continued development of public safety and policing reforms.

Register here to receive a Zoom invitation prior to the start of the event.

La Esquina Garden Fundraising Campaign

18 days to go!!

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$eedMoney fundraising campaign for La Esquina

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Here is the link to the page, which you can look at but won't be live till Sunday:
https://donate.seedmoney.org/5144/la-esquina-community-garden

(This campaign will start on Nov 15 2020 at 12:00 PM EST and will end on Dec 15 2020 at 12:00 PM EST)

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

The Tues and Thurs Open Garden will return, at 3pm, for composters, children needing a break from school, others needing a break from _____, food gatherers and passersby. There are collards and kale, plus microgreens like spinach, arugula, cilantro, lettuce. Herbs include dill, marjoram, thyme, oregano. Still open 10-noon on Saturdays, weather permitting.

FB: La Esquina Community Garden
email: laesquinagarden@gmail.com
La Esquina's parent non-profit is Olde and South Kensington Green Space, www.oskgreen.com

COVID Alert PA App

COVID Alert PA is the official mobile app by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) that uses the Exposure Notification System (ENS) provided by Apple and Google.
You can now add your phone to the fight against COVID-19 by going to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and downloading the free COVID Alert PA app to your smartphone. The app runs on iPhones that support iOS 13.5 and higher, and Android phones running Android 6.0 and higher. The app is not intended to be used by people under 18 years of age.
COVID Alert PA works in Pennsylvania, and when you travel to other locations in the United States including: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Wyoming.
States piloting an exposure notification app with al limited population include: California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington.

Details about the App click here, and about COVID-19 Data for Pennsylvania click here.

Downloadable Resources

You, too, can join in the fight against COVID. We invite you to spread the word about the COVID Alert PA app with your friends, neighbors, colleagues, and employers.

You can find downloadable posters about the app, as well as, stickers, postcards, and social media graphics on the: Community resources webpage.