Philadelphia helps students facing homelessness through funding – NBC10 Philadelphia

Children are not the first thing that comes to mind when we think of homelessness, but they are a group that suffers from housing insecurity in Philadelphia.

On Tuesday, Philadelphia city and school district officials stood with community members whose mission is to prevent homelessness, impact children’s education and quality of life.

This comes months after the city’s COVID-19 fund, which was helping with the problem, ran out over the summer.

“Philadelphia has lost more revenue during the pandemic than any other major city in the entire country except Detroit,” said Isaiah Thomas, majority executive of the Philadelphia City Council. he said.

On Tuesday, October 29, news broke that more funds were on the way, thanks to the efforts of the city council and school district.

In July, Philadelphia School District students attended a community hearing and described what life was like as they moved out of homes and shelters.

The city is working on transferring money from this year’s budget, so $2.3 million will go to three organizations that serve the community: Eddie’s House, Valley Youth House And hopePHL. This money is expected to last about a year.

Youth homelessness is up 19% this school year, according to the district.

Nearly 10,000 people between the ages of infancy and 21 are housing insecure; Officials point to the pandemic and swollen housing, as well as food costs, as a major factor affecting the city’s most vulnerable population.