PathWays PA Policy Blog

From our friends at the Office of Income Maintenance.  In order to prepare for the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), COMPASS , Pennsylvania’s online resource for applying and renewing health and human services benefits, will be intermittently unavailable from 8:00 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013 through 8:00 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 30, 2013. Please note: Any applications that were entered into COMPASS and not completed prior to 11:00 p.m. Sept. 27, 2013 will be lost and you will be required to start the application process over. If you have any questions, please call 1-800-692-7462.

Veterans Navigator (Delaware County, PA) PathWays PA is seeking two full time Veterans Navigators for a new regional Veterans services initiative based in Delaware County, PA. The Navigators will help connect local Veterans with state, federal, and community resources necessary for securing employment and building financial stability. The Navigator will serve as a primary point of contact to help Veterans prepare for employment, access supportive services, and navigate education systems. This position will include workshop facilitation, individual career coaching, case management, service referrals, business development, and community outreach. The ideal candidate will have a record of success as a Veterans case manager, social worker, program/project manager, etc. He or she must be a “team-player” with a passion for direct service and experience with workforce development. The Navigator must be an excellent communicator with strong problem solving skills, time management skill

From our friends at the National Network for Youth The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) expires September 30, 2013 and authorizes grant programs that provide critical services for homeless and runaway youth. "Expires" doesn't mean the law disappears. It does mean that the longer a bill remains expired the more difficult it becomes to reauthorize. The NN4Y has convened the RHYA 2013 Reauthorization Working Group, a group of advocates in DC and from the homeless and vulnerable youth field who are working with us to advance this reauthorization cycle. To learn more about this 27-member working group, GO HERE . ACTION NEEDED: CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES Your relationships with your federal representatives greatly assists the National Network in educating Congress and advancing policies that reflect the need of homeless and runaway youth in America. To see our policy recommendations for this reauthorization cycle, GO HERE . To find your representatives, use t

CLASP has created a new fact sheet which interprets the newly released 2012 U.S. Census poverty data.  They have found: Nearly 6 million young kids (almost 1 in 4 under age 6) live in poor households The number of children in poverty has increased by nearly 3 million and 6% since 2007 If SNAP benefits had been counted as income in the official rate, they would have lifted 4 million people out of poverty  For more information, see the new fact sheet .

From our friends at PHAN and PUP. Join us this Thursday, September 26th 10:00 AM for an informative workshop. You'll learn about: New rights and protections for folks with private health insurance. New benefits for Medicare recipients and changes to Medicare Advantage What the new insurance marketplace is and how to sign up for coverage What Medicaid expansion could mean for Pennsylvania Latest updates from Harrisburg and DC PLUS there will be plenty of time for your questions PHAN is proud to be presenting at this workshop put together by our friends at the Philadelphia Unemployment Project. Join: Thursday, September 26th at 10:00 AM at the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO office, 22 South 22nd Street, Philadelphia. Looking forward to seeing you there! (For more information call the Philadelphia Unemployment Project at 215-557-0822)

The People's Emergency Center (PEC), an organization that serves homeless families in West Philadelphia, will be holding a series of public policy forums to bring together various communities to discuss and solve problems. Forum on New Research on Family and Child Homelessness -  The SHiFT Study  Thursday, September 26, 2013, 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM  United Way of Greater Philadelphia & Southern New Jersey 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia Click here for more information.  Forum & Advocacy in Harrisburg  Wednesday, October 2nd, 10:30 am - 3:00 pm  Temple University (Across the Street from the Capitol) 234 Strawberry Square, Harrisburg, PA 17101. Click here for more information. Sounding the Horn: A Crossfire Discussion on Educational Outcomes  Wednesday October 16, 2013, 6pm - 8:30pm  The Comcast Center, 45th Floor 1701 JFK Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Click here for more information.

Use your buying power to stop human trafficking! Join the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia on Saturday, October 12th from 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Angels Convent (609 S. Convent Road, Aston 19014) for "Consumerism and the Many Faces of Human Trafficking" symposium. This annual symposium will probe the reality of human trafficking not only in the sex industry, but behind the goods and services we purchase each day. We will look at our buying power and how our choices may put the most vulnerable at risk. Keynote speaker Rev. David Couturier, OFM, Cap., will examine corporate human trafficking and explore consumer power and the supply chains of human trafficking. For more information, contact: Sr. Marla Orlandini Sr. Ann Forrest or at 484-885-6912

Half in Ten and the Coalition on Human Needs are thrilled to announce the next phase of our work to collect and deploy personal stories to shape the national debate around poverty issues! As you may know, Half in Ten and the Coalition of Human Needs began collecting stories in 2011 from low-income families and service providers to illustrate the human cost of reckless budget cuts and highlight the need for proactive investment strategies to promote economic security and opportunity. Now, these groups are announcing their new name "Our American Story: A Storyteller Network." This rebranding effort reflects their renewed focus on the community of advocates, low-income families and service providers who have shared their stories about the American Dream as a way of shaping public policy. With attacks on vital programs like nutrition assistance set for this fall, and in advance of the 50th anniversary of the War on Poverty in January 2014, Our American Story is looking to

Saru Jayaraman, author of Behind the Kitchen Door , will be at the First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh located at 605 Morewood Ave. on Monday September 23, beginning at 6:30pm to discuss her groundbreaking book and the lives of restaurant workers. Saru, one of the original founders of the Restaurant Opportunity Center (ROC), writes about the life of restaurant workers and their struggles to make ends meet while living on substandard wages. ROC works with restaurants and their employees to improve wages and conditions. Find out more information about the event here!

On Wednesday, September 18th, Samantha Ettus and featured guest Chris Coward, PCC, MSW, will team up for the Pennsylvania Conference for Women's online radio show " Office Hours ." This broadcast is designed to give you the insight and tools you need to network with colleagues and strangers. During the broadcast, you will learn to: Create deeper relationships Invest in meaningful connections Cultivate influence within your network Registration is free ! For more information, click here .

The 3rd Annual Delaware County Wellness Fair is on September 18, 2013, at the Delaware County Government Center in Media. Come out between 10 AM and 1 PM for FREE screenings, educational materials and the latest information about preventive health for everyone. Sponsored by: Delaware County Council, Delaware County Women's Commission Delaware County Department of Intercommunity Health, Friends of the Delaware County Women's Commission, Crozer-Keystone Health System, Mercy Health System/Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, Main Line Health System/Riddle Hospital.

News is coming out today about Governor Corbett's proposal to increase access to health care in Pennsylvania. We will bring you further analysis of the plan as it comes in, and we encourage those interested to join a call hosted by the Pennsylvania Health Access Network on September 24 to learn more. Here are the basics revealed by the Administration. The plan, titled Healthy Pennsylvania , is said to focus on : getting kids insured, promoting access to primary health care - particularly in rural and underserved areas of the state, and creating a coordinated long term care and support system for older Pennsylvanians and persons with disabilities. Healthy Pennsylvania includes common sense reforms to the Medicaid program and a pathway to increase access to health care for uninsured Pennsylvanians. These reforms include aligning benefits with national standards proposed by the Department of Health and Human Services, reasonable premiums, individual responsibility, work search an

From our friends at FRAC . Do you oppose cutting money for nutrition from the Farm Bill? If so, join in a nationwide SNAP Call-In Day tomorrow, Tuesday, September 17 to urge House members to vote "NO" on the nutrition-only farm bill (The Nutrition Reform and Work Opportunity Act) that cuts $40 billion/10 years from SNAP. The House is expected to vote on the bill later this week. House Democrats are in agreement to vote NO, so advocacy efforts should be targeted to House Republicans. Message: I urge you to vote NO on the nutrition-only farm bill to cut $40 billion/10 years from SNAP. This bill would increase hunger in America. Call-In Number: 866-456-8824 - Special thanks to our friends at Feeding America for the toll-free number. Why should you call? Read FRAC President Jim Weill's commentary on SNAP cuts in The Hill.

Drexel University's Center for Hunger Free Communities will be hosting a Witnesses to Hunger Exhibit on Thursday, September 19, from 5:00pm-9:00pm at Gallery Eleven One located at: 339 N. Front St. Suite B in Camden, NJ. The exhibit centers around ten mothers and grandmothers spark dialogue, engage and inform policymakers, and inspire change. An exhibit featuring the photographs of Camden women who are working to create better lives for their children. The exhibit will also be on view at the following times: Wednesday, Sept 18th - 1:30 to 7:00  Thursday, Sept 19th - 5:00 to 9:00  Friday, Sept 20th - 5:00 to 9:00  Saturday, Sept 21st - 12:00 to 5:00  Please RSVP to the reception here.

The Bucks County Women's Advocacy Coalition in partnership with area organizations will host a seminar on Friday, September 13, at 9:00am and again at 1:30pm for agencies and professionals who will need to utilize the new health care system. The events will take place at the Bucks County Communities College Newtown and Bristol campuses . Speakers include: Roseanne Egan, Deputy Regional Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services  Athena Smith Ford, PA Advocacy Director, PA Health Access Network  Laura Line, Corporate Assistant Director for Healthcare, Resources for Human Development  Facilitator: Ann Torregrossa, Executive Director, PA Health Funders Cooperative  Facilitator Introduction: Theresa BrownGold, Creator, Art As Social Inquiry  The event will take place at two locations. Please choose whatever location and time works best for you: A two-hour seminar beginning at 9:00 a.m. in BCCC's Auditorium on the Newtown Campus, 275 Swamp Road A rep

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a critical life line for Pennsylvania's children, youth and families. In July, 43 percent of Pennsylvanians receiving SNAP benefits were children and youth. Nearly a quarter of a million of the Commonwealth's infants and children under the age of five benefited from the SNAP Program. The safety net for this state's fragile children and families is already frayed. Now is not the time to launch another attack on an important building block to a child's health, safety and school readiness - good nutrition. Families are already bracing for a reduction in SNAP benefits this fall as a result of an expiring provision of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). And then there is the squeeze of sequestration.  Even as families struggle, U.S. House leaders are prepping another assault on SNAP - this time in the form of a $40 billion (double what was rejected back in June) cut woven into benign soundi

Women Against Abuse is excited to announce its 6th Annual iPledge Campaign, a citywide social awareness movement that calls on ordinary Philadelphians to get involved in speaking out against domestic violence. The campaign will launch on October 1 at noon in Love Park with a press conference to mark the beginning of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Philadelphia. Visit the iPledge website to learn more and get information on the upcoming walk to end domestic violence on October 26 hosted by State Senator LeAnna Washington!

On Tuesday, September 10, beginning at 2PM, The Coalition on Human Needs, the Community Action Partnership, and the Children's Leadership Council will host an important training webinar will be held to prepare for the new poverty data that will be released by the Census Bureau on September 17 and 19.  Congress will also be grappling with a set of urgent deadlines, and deciding whether to cut or protect human needs programs. You can use the new information to show the extent of need in your state or community, and why Congress should invest, not cut. This webinar will show you how. The webinar will be 90 minutes and there will be time for questions.  Register here and see a list of presenters.