Philadelphia

PHASE 4 Philadelphia Rental Assistance Eligibility Criteria & Rules Presentation

This presentation details who can apply for phase 4 rental assistance in Philadelphia. Below are details regarding the utility assistance aspect of this program:

  • Applicants can receive up to 18 months of utility assistance for past-due

and current utility bills

• An...Read more

Philly is trying to bridge vaccine gaps by targeting hard-hit neighborhoods. Finally, activists and experts say.

This article discusses the digital divide and how a vaccination have proven to increase it even more than the pandemic already has. It opens with by discussing Jeff Harris, 65, and how he was registered after a group of activists went door to door registering people. Harris explained that not...Read more

Utility Shutoffs Allowed with Restrictions by Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission

This article released by the Philadelphia Energy Authority is actually dated to this past November 2020, when the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission decided utilities could resume shutting off customers who did not pay their utility bills. With the November provisions, utilities were allowed...Read more

Philadelphia Phase 4 Rental Assistance Application

This artifact is the phase 4 application for rental assistance in Philadelphia. This program is meant to assist tenants in Philadelphia who are experiencing financial hardships due to COVID-19. Tenants are eligible for up to 18 months of assistance total.

In order to apply, individuals...Read more

Unpaid Pa. utility bills soar 68% in the pandemic, and thousands face shutoffs next month

This article documents the end of the utility shutoffs suspension in Pennsylvania, which will take place on November 9, 2020.  

Utilities have said that the moratorium, which was enacted in March, has not led to an increase in payment plan applications, but has instead led to an...Read more

Free internet access available for some now struggling to afford it, city says

Philadelphia is extending it's free PHLConnectED program, which provides no cost connections, to families who have children recieving special education services or are English-language learners, and those who participate in public benefit programs with income qualifications 

City...Read more

Squatting for survival in Philadelphia: What it’s like to live in a ‘takeover house’

The article goes in-depth about the history of squatting in the city of Philadelphia and the situations that lead to squatting in cities like Philadelphia with high unemployment, homelessness, transient or intermittent housing, and high percentages of low-income households (Chicago for example...Read more

PHLRentAssist Phase 4 Frequently Asked Questions

This artifact contains frequently asked questions for Phase 4 of Philadelphia's rental assistance program. Read more

New survey designed to see just how connected Philadelphia actually is

This article describes a survey the city of Philadelphia is plannnig to condut on conjunction with Wilco Electronic Systems. The survey is planned to be a phone survey of 2,500 people.

John Horrigan, former research director of the National Broadband Plan at the Federal Communications...Read more

Philadelphia’s latest rental and utility assistance program is now open for tenants and landlords

This article states that Philadelphia's rental assistance program now includes funds for renters' utility payments, up to $2,000 each for water, electric, and gas. This is in addition to the $2,000 monthly for rent payments. This is made possible because of the $97 million in federal funds...Read more

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