News Center

Lawmakers explore economic, educational significance of historic preservation

(Nov 14, 2024) Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El

“Black history is American history, and in south-central Pennsylvania, we have a wealth of historic sites worth preserving, but many of them have been under-valued or under-developed,” said hearing host Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El, who represents portions of Lancaster County. “The committee heard about the economic benefit of preserving these sites, as well as the educational benefits in telling the truth and erasing popular myths that masquerade as facts.” Read more

 

Pennsylvania adopts Education for Students Experiencing Homelessness Awareness Week

(Nov 14, 2024) ABC 27 News

“Our schools, our students need more social work and other professionals,” says Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El (D) – Lancaster County. Read more

 

Advocates ask Pa. to chip in on homeless student assistance

(Nov 14, 2024) Patriot News

With roughly 46,000 homeless students in the last PDE survey, the question is “are they worth $217 to make sure they get a high school diploma?” posed Rep. Izzy Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster County.“It’s our duty to have their back,” Smith-Wade-El said. Read more

 

‘Not just an urban issue:’ Lawmakers hear from experts, advocates on child homelessness in Pa.

(Nov 14, 2024) Pennsylvania Capital-Star

Pointing to a lack of data, resources and support services and the effect of stigmatization, advocates at Wednesday’s press conference urged lawmakers to take up bills that they say will help address youth homelessness and set students up on a path to success, such as HB 127, HB 729, HB 730, HB 1175. Read more

 

Lawmakers highlight need to address youth homelessness

(Nov 13, 2024) Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El

“We know families that experience financial hardships will do whatever they can to survive, living with relatives by couch surfing or spending nights in a car to stay together at all costs,” said state Rep. Gina H. Curry, who represents portions of Delaware County. “Homeless youth oftentimes go undetected, with parents unwilling to reveal their financial struggles out of the fear protective services will break up their family. That’s why we suspect this problem is even greater than the reported numbers, and it’s one of the driving forces in passing legislation to address this growing population.” Read more

 

Smith-Wade-El announces over $1.5 million in state grants for capital improvements

(Nov 01, 2024) Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El

LANCASTER, Nov. 1 – State Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster, today announced that $1,567,000 in state investments that his office helped to secure would be coming to Lancaster City through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. “For many people in Lancaster County, they don’t have a healthcare system that works,” Smith-Wade-El said. “This $1.5 million in state grants will help provide lifesaving medical services to those in need. My office staff and I are thrilled by this investment in critical health infrastructure in Lancaster County and we are proud to have played a part in securing it.” Union Community Care Community Health Center Union Community Care $500,000 In this project, Union Community Carewill will complete phase one of the renovation for the planned community health center build-out at its recently purchased property. Specifically, interior demolition and fit out to include finishes (framing and installation of medical grade casework, drywall, flooring and painting); interior excavation and demolition; plumbing upgrades; electrical upgrades; and sprinkler system retrofit, along with replacement of the existing rubber roof; full HVAC system replacement; and the demolition of an existing parking deck. Lancaster EMS Fairview Avenue Lancaster Emergency Medical Read more

 

Smith-Wade-El brings home $4.14M in state grants for community improvements

(Oct 23, 2024) Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El

LANCASTER, Oct. 23 – State Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster, announced that he helped to secure $4,145,502 in state grants for the 49th District to build affordable housing and renovate a school into a community center for children, families and seniors. “Our area’s families need and deserve housing in which to raise their families,” Smith-Wade-El said. “Not only does having a roof over one’s head provide a sense of security, but a home makes a family healthier, makes a student perform better in school, helps a worker keep a job. Every family deserves a chance to get ahead, not just get by, and that starts with a home. My team is proud to work to bring home millions to secure homes, fight homelessness, provide our kids with places to play and our neighbors with places to thrive.” $500,000 Franklin Street Project Thaddeus Stevens Foundation is partnering with South Ann Concerned Neighbors Inc. for the purpose of constructing affordable housing. The funds will go towards constructing a mixed-use facility that will house two three-bedroom loft-style affordable apartments on the second floor for low-income families. In addition, a pizza shop and a fresh food market, selling healthy essentials such as fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, milk and bread, will be constructed on the first floor. $500,000 Breaking Barriers of Poverty to Build Better Futures Installation of a new HVAC system, bathrooms, a Read more

 

Smith-Wade-El brings home $4.14M in state grants for community improvements

(Oct 23, 2024) Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El

LANCASTER, Oct. 23 – State Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster, announced that he helped to secure $4,145,502 in state grants for the 49 th District to build affordable housing and renovate a school into a community center for children, families and seniors. “Our area’s families need and deserve housing in which to raise their families,” Smith-Wade-El said. “Not only does having a roof over one’s head provide a sense of security, but a home makes a family healthier, makes a student perform better in school, helps a worker keep a job. Every family deserves a chance to get ahead, not just get by, and that starts with a home. My team is proud to work to bring home millions to secure homes, fight homelessness, provide our kids with places to play and our neighbors with places to thrive.” $500,000 Franklin Street Project Thaddeus Stevens Foundation is partnering with South Ann Concerned Neighbors Inc. for the purpose of constructing affordable housing. The funds will go towards constructing a mixed-use facility that will house two three-bedroom loft-style affordable apartments on the second floor for low-income families. In addition, a pizza shop and a fresh food market, selling healthy essentials such as fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, milk and bread, will be constructed on the first floor. $500,000 Breaking Barriers of Poverty to Build Better Futures Installation of a new Read more

 

Grant Memo: Agricultural, Environmental, Public Safety, Redevelopment and Additional Grant Opportunities

(Oct 04, 2024) Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El

NEWLY LISTED PROGRAMS Department of Community and Economic Development: PA SITES Who May Apply: Municipalities, economic development organizations, redevelopment authorities, municipal authorities, industrial development agencies, and for-profit organizations. Use: To develop competitive sites for businesses to relocate or expand within Pennsylvania. Funds: $400 million in funding is available. Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and approved on a quarterly basis More information: DCED Website Department of Transportation: Multimodal Transportation Fund (MTF) Who May Apply: Municipalities, councils of government, businesses, economic development organizations, public transportation agencies, ports and rail freight entities. Use: To improve transportation assets that enhance communities, pedestrian safety, and transit revitalization. Funds: The MTF requires a 30% match of the amount award. Awards are available for projects with a minimum cost of $100,000 and no more than $3,000,000. Application Deadline: November 5, 2024 More information: PennDOT website Office of the State Fire Commissioner: Unconventional Gas Well Fund Who May Apply: Volunteer and career fire, EMS, and rescue companies in counties where unconventional gas well drilling is permitted and counties that directly border permitted counties and respond to related emergencies. Use: Funds may be used for certification, equipment, and Read more

 

Smith-Wade-El and Hohenstein hold news conference to highlight legislation to create Office of New Pennsylvanians

(Oct 01, 2024) Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El

HARRISBURG, Oct. 1 – State Reps. Ismail Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster, and Joe Hohenstein, D-Phila., held a news conference to highlight their legislation, H.B. 1630 , that would create an Office of New Pennsylvanians to support, attract and retain immigrants in the commonwealth. “Generations of immigrants answered Pennsylvania’s welcoming call of opportunity and freedom, making our commonwealth into the powerhouse it is,” Smith-Wade-El said. “Right now, Pennsylvania is betraying its own values by scapegoating immigrant communities with punitive policies that are driving them out of the state although foreign-born workers comprise over 8% of our state’s workforce and pay $3.3 billion yearly in state and local taxes. As our population ages and many residents leave our state for other opportunities, we need skilled workers, entrepreneurs, consumers and community leaders to make sure that Pennsylvania continues to grow and thrive economically, culturally and socially. “Pennsylvania needs an Office of New Pennsylvanians to ensure that these new residents are able to flourish in the commonwealth,” Smith-Wade-El said. “They need to know we have their back.” “Pennsylvania is stronger when we welcome and celebrate immigration,” Hohenstein said. “Our collective ability to come together from all different backgrounds and perspectives for the betterment of the commonwealth is truly wonderful. Read more

 

Grants, Sept. 25

(Sep 25, 2024) Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El

NEWLY LISTED PROGRAMS Department of Community and Economic Development: Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) Please note, the NAP is broken down into 5 programs (The Neighborhood Assistance Program, the Special Program Priorities, the Charitable Food Program, the Neighborhood Partnership Program, and the Enterprise Zone Program). Please visit the DCED website for specifics on each program. Who May Apply: Nonprofit organizations Use: The goals of the Programs are to promote community participation and collaborations among the residents, nonprofits and businesses while producing outcomes by assisting a distressed area or the low-income population in a neighborhood. Eligible neighborhood nonprofits apply for tax credits based on pending contributions from for-profit companies. Funds: The total available NAP tax credit amount has increased from $36 million to $72 million. Application Deadline: October 25, 2024 More information: DCED Website Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Continuing County Adult Probation and Parole Grant Program Who May Apply: Counties Use: The primary purpose of the CCAPPG funds is to provide funding from the Commonwealth for costs incurred by the county for the supervision of adult offenders. Funds: PCCD is announcing a total of $16,150,000 in state Continuing County Adult Probation and Parole Grant funds. PCCD expects to fund up to 65 county adult probation Read more

 

Grants, Sept. 25

(Sep 25, 2024) Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El

NEWLY LISTED PROGRAMS Department of Community and Economic Development: Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) Please note, the NAP is broken down into 5 programs (The Neighborhood Assistance Program, the Special Program Priorities, the Charitable Food Program, the Neighborhood Partnership Program, and the Enterprise Zone Program). Please visit the DCED website for specifics on each program. Who May Apply: Nonprofit organizations Use: The goals of the Programs are to promote community participation and collaborations among the residents, nonprofits and businesses while producing outcomes by assisting a distressed area or the low-income population in a neighborhood. Eligible neighborhood nonprofits apply for tax credits based on pending contributions from for-profit companies. Funds: The total available NAP tax credit amount has increased from $36 million to $72 million. Application Deadline: October 25, 2024 More information: DCED Website Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Continuing County Adult Probation and Parole Grant Program Who May Apply: Counties Use: The primary purpose of the CCAPPG funds is to provide funding from the Commonwealth for costs incurred by the county for the supervision of adult offenders. Funds: PCCD is announcing a total of $16,150,000 in state Continuing County Adult Probation and Parole Grant funds. PCCD expects to fund up to 65 county adult probation Read more

 

Grant Memo: Agricultural, Environmental, Public Safety, Redevelopment and Additional Grant Opportunities

(Sep 17, 2024) Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El

NEWLY LISTED PROGRAMS Office of the State Fire Commissioner: Fire Company and Emergency Medical Services Grant Program Who May Apply: All fire companies, emergency medical services, and volunteer rescue squads Use: Eligible projects include but are not limited to facility renovations, equipment purchases, debt reduction, training, education, and recruitment and retention. Funds: Awards may range from $2,500 to $20,000 for fire/rescue companies and $2,500 to $15,000 for EMS companies. Application Deadline: October 20, 2024 More information: OSFC Website Drug and Alcohol Programs: Substance Use Disorder Drop-In Centers Who May Apply: Applicant must have at least two years of experience as of July 1, 2024, in providing SUD prevention, intervention, harm reduction, treatment, or recovery support services, drop-in center services or relevant services and shall have the capacity to provide SUD drop-in center services to individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) and other concurrent SUD. Use: DDAP will provide funds from the Opioid Settlement to drop-in centers or other human service organizations looking to expand their community-driven harm reduction support services to increase overdose prevention and linkage to SUD treatment and recovery support services. The goal is to provide hope, support, and resources to assist those on their road to recovery Funds: DDAP expects to award approximately 14 grants totaling $1,875,000 each. Application Read more

 

Smith-Wade-El’s statement on Shapiro’s Housing Action Plan

(Sep 13, 2024) Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El

LANCASTER, Sept. 13 – State Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster, today issued this statement on Gov. Josh Shapiro’s executive order creating Pennsylvania’s first Housing Action Plan: “It is my guiding belief that having a home is a human right and a matter of justice, and so I wholeheartedly support Governor Shapiro’s Housing Action Plan, which puts at the forefront many of the issues I have fought for, first on the Lancaster City Council and now as state representative: the need to expand affordable housing options and provide support to the unhoused in Pennsylvania. “Housing insecurity has had a wide-ranging, devastating impact on our communities, from unemployment to educational disparities to the gun violence epidemic. “Though we have made historic investments in education in the past two budgets, all of that work will be undermined if parents and their kids don’t have a home to call their own. All of our work to build a work force will come to nothing if workers can’t afford to live in Pennsylvania. “Shapiro’s plan will provide a roadmap to increase housing availability, affordability, and quality through a coordinated, multi-agency, data-driven approach to effectively address Pennsylvania's current housing challenges. “Affordable housing is the keystone to Pennsylvania’s future success. “I applaud Governor Shapiro for taking this step to provide for the Read more

 

Grants, Sept. 10

(Sep 10, 2024) Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El

NEWLY LISTED PROGRAMS Department of Community and Economic Development: Main Street Matters Who May Apply: Units of local government, redevelopment and/or housing authorities, nonprofits, economic development organizations, housing corporations, community development corporations, business improvement districts, neighborhood improvement districts, downtown improvement districts, and similar organizations incorporated as authorities. Use: A flexible tool for use in community and economic development for a variety of uses including planning activities, façade grant programs, business improvement grant programs, accessible housing programs, and district development grants. Funds: $20 million was allocated for this program in the 2024/25 budget. Individual grant awards vary depending on the type of grant. Application Deadline: November 15, 2024 More information: DCED Website Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Violence Intervention and Prevention Program Who May Apply: Community-based organizations (i.e., active, registered 501(c)(3)s), institutions of higher education, municipalities, counties, and district attorneys. Use: Reducing community violence through, among other things, increasing access to support services and behavioral health, providing health services and intervention strategies, providing mentoring and other intervention models, and fostering and promoting communication between Read more

 

Smith-Wade-El to host free child car seat clinic Sept. 21

(Sep 10, 2024) Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El

LANCASTER, Sept. 10 – State Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster, will host a free child car seat clinic from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 21 at the Lancaster Township Volunteer Fire Department, 1275 Millersville Pike, in Lancaster. Read more

 

Smith-Wade-El announces $452,260 in Environmental Repair Grants for Lancaster School District

(Sep 09, 2024) Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El

LANCASTER, Sept. 9 – State Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster, announced that Lancaster School District has been awarded $452,260 in state grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Education to create safer facilities for students, educators and staff through the elimination of lead, mold, asbestos and other environmental hazards. “As the proud son of an educator, there’s nothing more important to me than making sure our kids get the best education possible – and that includes studying in safe and healthy facilities so they can focus on learning,” Smith-Wade-El said. “As your state representative, I fought hard to bring back your taxpayer dollars to fix and clean up our schools. And I’m going to continue to fight to bring back state dollars to continue to improve life in our communities.” The money comes from the state’s Public ? School Environmental ??? Repairs Program , made possible by funding that Smith-Wade-El voted for in the 2023-24 state budget. Grants under the program can be used by schools to fix environmental hazards in their school buildings, including removing lead in water sources and in paint, as well as asbestos and mold removal and remediation. A total of $75 million was available for the competitive grant program established in 2023, and 109 school districts and technical centers across the state received grants in this round. Projects require a cash match of 50% of Read more

 

Sept 5 Grants

(Sep 06, 2024) Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El

NEWLY LISTED PROGRAMS Department of Community and Economic Development: Local Share Account Statewide Who May Apply: Counties, municipalities, municipal authorities, economic development agencies, redevelopment authorities, land banks, or councils of government. Non-profits may partner with an eligible applicant to apply on their behalf. Use: Projects in the public interest. Projects that improve the quality of life of citizens in the community. Eligible projects must be owned and maintained by an eligible applicant or a nonprofit organization. See program guidelines for specific eligible uses of funds. Funds: The PA Race Horse Development and Gaming Act provides for the distribution of gaming revenues through the Commonwealth Financing Authority to support projects in the public interest. Grant requests must be at a minimum $25,000 and no more than $1,000,000. Application Deadline: November 30, 2024 More information: DCED Website Department of Education: Hunger-Free Campus Grants Who May Apply: Institutes of Higher Education. Use: Funding may be used to ensure students have access to healthy, nutritious food. Funds: Institutions with 3,000 or fewer students are eligible for $20,000 awards. Institutions with 3,001 to 7,000 students are eligible for $40,000 awards. Institutions with greater than 7,000 students are eligible for $60,000 awards. Application Deadline: September 23, Read more

 

Grants

(Aug 29, 2024) Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El

Aug 29 Grants Read more

 

Education Flyer – English

(Aug 15, 2024) Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El

Rep. Sturla and Rep. Smith-Wade-El provided this education flyer at their Back to School Event on August 18, 2024. Read more

 

Lawmakers explore economic, educational significance of historic preservation
Nov 14, 2024

Pennsylvania adopts Education for Students Experiencing Homelessness Awareness Week
Nov 14, 2024

Advocates ask Pa. to chip in on homeless student assistance
Nov 14, 2024

‘Not just an urban issue:’ Lawmakers hear from experts, advocates on child homelessness in Pa.
Nov 14, 2024

Lawmakers highlight need to address youth homelessness
Nov 13, 2024

Smith-Wade-El announces over $1.5 million in state grants for capital improvements
Nov 01, 2024

Smith-Wade-El brings home $4.14M in state grants for community improvements
Oct 23, 2024

Smith-Wade-El brings home $4.14M in state grants for community improvements
Oct 23, 2024

Grant Memo: Agricultural, Environmental, Public Safety, Redevelopment and Additional Grant Opportunities
Oct 04, 2024

Smith-Wade-El and Hohenstein hold news conference to highlight legislation to create Office of New Pennsylvanians
Oct 01, 2024

Grants, Sept. 25
Sep 25, 2024

Grants, Sept. 25
Sep 25, 2024

Grant Memo: Agricultural, Environmental, Public Safety, Redevelopment and Additional Grant Opportunities
Sep 17, 2024

Smith-Wade-El’s statement on Shapiro’s Housing Action Plan
Sep 13, 2024

Grants, Sept. 10
Sep 10, 2024

Smith-Wade-El to host free child car seat clinic Sept. 21
Sep 10, 2024

Smith-Wade-El announces $452,260 in Environmental Repair Grants for Lancaster School District
Sep 09, 2024

Sept 5 Grants
Sep 06, 2024

Grants
Aug 29, 2024

Education Flyer – English
Aug 15, 2024