HARRISBURG, June 12 – State Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster, hosted a rally today with other legislators, legal experts and community advocates from across the state in support of fair housing in Pennsylvania. “The lack of affordable housing in Pennsylvania has resulted in evictions and homelessness for many Pennsylvanians,” Smith-Wade-El said. “Every person has the right to a roof over their head. Our rally today called out the continuing inequities in housing in our commonwealth and the legislative and budget initiatives devised to address them. “As Democrats in the PA House, we’re fighting for a person-centered approach to fair housing, from helping the unhoused get back into a safe home, to my bill that would seal no-fault eviction records so people can find housing, to increased support for the Whole Home Repairs program so seniors can fix and stay in their homes,” Smith-Wade-El said. “We understand that having a home to call one’s own is a human right, a matter of justice. I and my colleagues will fight to make sure that every Pennsylvanian can enjoy their fundamental right to a safe and secure place in which to live.” The rally focused on the PA House budget proposal (H.B. 2324), which would increase funding for fair housing initiatives; the need for increased funding for the homelessness assistance program; a House-led proposal to increase PHARE funding to $100 million dollars; the LLC Read more
The WHC chairs called the actions of the nonprofit into question, writing, “For more than 20 years, an organization known as Real Alternatives has been enriching itself and its executives, mismanaging state-appropriated funding, and potentially misdirecting that funding for advertising and legal services, including using Pennsylvania dollars in other states.” Read more
Pennsylvania House Democrats seek your experiences relating to the housing crisis in light of COVID-19. Read more
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 8 – State Rep. Morgan Cephas, D-Phila., said several career and technical education schools in her 192 nd legislative district will receive pandemic relief grants to help them implement safety plans for students and staff. According to information from the Wolf administration, Continuity of Education and Equity Grants were awarded to the following schools : $39,724 to Overbrook High School. $27,651 to the Science Leadership Academy at Beeber. $29,250 tor Ad Prima Charter School. $19,000 West Philadelphia Achievement Charter Elementary School. “These grants will help sustain crucial educational programs in our community, which have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Cephas said. “This funding will help ensure the safety of students, continuity of services and essential educational programs, which often lead to jobs right here in our community, sustaining the well-being of our district’s and state’s economy.” The funding comes from the federal CARES Act and authorizes governors to determine the educational use of these relief funds. Continuity of Education and Equity Grants provide funding to support effective continuity of education programs such as summer and other expanded programming and industry credential assessments for students enrolled in career and technology centers negatively impacted by COVID-19 mitigation. Grants for the schools in Cephas’ district Read more
“It is vitally important to our area that economic engines like Saint Joseph’s University continue to operate as close to normal as possible,” said Cephas, whose 192nd Legislative District covers the Philadelphia section of St. Joe’s. “These funds will allow them to provide their exceptional education while keeping students, staff and faculty safe from potential coronavirus exposure. I want to thank Governor Wolf for ensuring that students are able to continue their education with a measured, practical approach to COVID-19 mitigation.” Read more
As the countdown continues to the general election, state Rep. Morgan Cephas is ramping up her efforts to help prepare voters to head back to the polls in November amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Cephas teamed up with the Mayor's Office of Youth Engagement and the Philadelphia Youth Commission Tuesday night for a virtual town hall meeting focused on pinpointing strategies to increase voter engagement among young people. "Voting gives us the opportunity to reshape our future and redefine our priorities as a community," said Cephas, D-Phila. "We need to ensure the younger generation is part of that conversation because they play such an integral role in deciding which direction our country, commonwealth and city will go moving forward." From civics education and online strategies to initiatives geared towards getting young adults involved in the election process, the group took participant questions and highlighted various ways to demonstrate the importance of casting a ballot to millennials and members of Generation Z. "Affordable education, public safety and police reform aren't just top priorities in the legislature but are also issues of high interest to 18 to 24-year olds," explained Cephas. "It is our responsibility to provide these individuals with the resources, information Read more
Check out details about how employers can apply for hazard pay to provide their employees on the frontlines of COVID-19 along with a new digital school program launched by the School District of Philadelphia. Read more
Check out my latest update to read about the new police reform bills signed into law, plans to reopen schools safely and funding to help provide hazard pay to frontline workers. Read more
From protecting homeowners and renters to relief for small businesses, check out my latest update from Harrisburg. Read more
From passing police reform legislation to helping you through the COVID-19 pandemic, it's all in my Summer Newsletter. Read more
In response to Vice President Mike Pence visiting with the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 5, the Police Reform Working Group, made up of state and county elected officials and advocates, released the following statement:“As members of the Police Reform Working Group, we believe that the path to achieving community safety and racial justice in Pennsylvania must be two-fold. First, we must improve our current system of policing through accountability, oversight, and tangible policy changes that will diminish instances of police brutality against all citizens, but especially against the Black community. Second, we must work with communities to transform and re-envision policing itself through bold systemic changes that center around those most impacted by police violence and structural racism. Read more
"We need to be breaking down barriers – not creating more roadblocks when it comes to women's rights and ensuring all women are provided with quality healthcare," said state Rep. Morgan Cephas, D-Phila, vice chairwoman of the WHC. Read more
State Rep. Morgan Cephas joined her House colleagues in sending the governor a letter, calling on him to extend the eviction moratorium until December 31, as well as provide additional financial help for homeowners, renters and landlords. Read more
Check out my latest e-newsletter to find out which police reforms are heading to the governor, how homeowners and renters can apply for COVID-19 relief and the grant program available for small businesses. Read more
Renters and homeowners who were financially impacted by the economic slowdown related to the coronavirus pandemic will be able to access applications for rent and mortgage relief beginning Monday, June 29. At that time, applications will be accessible from a red banner on the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency’s website at www.PHFA.org . Homeowners who became unemployed after March 1 or who suffered at least a 30 percent reduction in annual income due to reduced work hours and wages related to COVID-19 may be eligible for financial assistance to help with missed mortgage payments. To qualify for the Pandemic Mortgage Assistance Program, the applicant must be an owner-occupant of their residence, the dwelling must consist of one or two separate units, the mortgage must be at least 30 days delinquent, and the applicant-homeowner’s annual household income must not exceed the Area Median Income for their county of residence adjusted for the number of people in their home. For renters to be eligible for financial assistance under the CARES Rent Relief Program, they will need to document at least a 30 percent reduction in annual income since March 1 related to COVID-19, or they must have become unemployed after March 1. If unemployed, they must have filed for Unemployment Compensation. Their household income cannot exceed the Area Median Income for their county of residence adjusted for the number of people in their home. For more information Read more
“Over the years, there’s been continuous attempts to reverse the progress we’ve made when it comes to women’s rights and access to healthcare,” said Rep. Morgan Cephas, D-Phila., vice chairwoman of the WHC. “Decisions like this one made by SCOTUS today help to ensure that we continue moving forward so that our communities have equitable access to necessary care.” Read more
Read the latest news in PA and the 192nd District! Read more
Applications are expected to be available June 30 for a new program aimed at providing critical funding to local businesses hurt by the coronavirus. Read more
Check out our new hours and safety guidelines as we take steps to reopen our district office safely. Read more
The Police Reform Working Group, a collection of elected officials and advocates working to bring accountability and transparency reforms to law enforcement, released the following statement in response to Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney’s commitment to police reform: “To bring about true and meaningful law enforcement reform, we must work together with leaders at all levels of government so the voices of those we represent can be heard and forward-thinking change achieved. We’ve already had several conversations with Mayor Kenney’s administration and those discussions have been promising. We appreciate the mayor’s willingness to listen and believe that his announcement today is the first step in what will be a long, but productive, journey to reform. Read more
The Police Reform Working Group, a collection of elected officials and advocates working to bring accountability and transparency reforms to law enforcement, released the following statement on Gov. Tom Wolf’s adoption today of their request for a state-level deputy inspector general aimed at improving law enforcement conduct, as well as Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s, along with the Fraternal Order of Police’s, support of a confidential database to track complaints against police officers: Read more
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