PathWays PA Policy Blog

Join the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces for a Letter Writing Party on December 7! In addition to networking, free coffee and refreshments , and an opportunity to learn more about earned sick time, we will be asking each person to put pen to paper and let their members of City Council know why earning paid sick days is important. WHEN: Tuesday, December 7th - 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM WHERE: United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia PA REGISTER HERE: http://letterwriting.eventbrite.com Come for the entire event or just stop in to send a letter.  Free coffee and a light breakfast will be provided. Even if you have paid sick days it is likely that people you come into contact with every day do not. Did you know that 41% of workers in Philadelphia are forced to choose between going to work sick, or sending a child to school sick, or losing their pay or possibly their job? The majority of workers without paid sick days ar...

Federal Policy Update SENATE PASSES EXTENSION OF THE TANF BLOCK GRANT Right before heading out of town for Thanksgiving, the Senate took care of some important unfinished business, passing by unanimous consent a bill that included a one year extension of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant, through September 30, 2011. The House is expected to approve this bill after it returns to session. The extension includes two new reporting requirements for states. Unfortunately, this extension does not include the TANF Emergency Fund , which assisted states that increased spending on subsidized jobs, basic assistance and short-term benefits during fiscal years 2009 and 2010. There is hope that Congress will add funding for the TANF Emergency Fund during the "lame duck" session. Please contact your Senators and thank them for taking action on such an important bill. Also, contact your Representative and urge him or her to move this bill forward as...

PATHWAYS PA ADOPT-A-FAMILY PROGRAM With the holidays right around the corner, it is time for PathWays PA's Adopt-a-Family. The Adopt-a-Family program offers the families who receive PathWays PA services many of the joys of the holiday season they may otherwise be without. Thanks to the generous contributions of local donors, special memories of holidays past have been created for the families we serve. Thousands of client families have benefited from this program through the years! This year, client families will again be partnered with donors based on their size and the ages of their children. After being paired up with a client family, a wish list will be sent to the donors with the receiving family's genders, ages, clothing sizes and their holiday wishes. The donor family chooses to purchase any or all of the items on the clients' list, or substitute items that they feel the client may enjoy. Non-perishable food baskets are also welcomed. This program is a source...

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Nearly 43,000 adults in Pennsylvania may be losing their health insurance early next year when adultBasic, an affordable health care option for adults who have recently lost health coverage and meet certain income guidelines, runs out of money. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer , adultBasic will run out of funding by early next year. The reason for the lack of funding is that adultBasic was underfunded by $54 million in the 2010-11 Fiscal Year. The program was scheduled to end by the end of 2010, however, the insurance companies that fund part of the program agreed to extend it until July of 2011. The problem lies in that the insurance contributions are not enough to sustain adultBasic beyond early 2011, meaning that thousands of working Pennsylvanians are at risk of losing their health coverage early next year, soon after Governor Corbett goes into office. Termination notices may go out as early as December. Please tell your legislators how important this healthcare pro...

For the first time in eight years, the Senate will hold a hearing today on the importance of ratifying the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) . This treaty is described as an international bills of rights for women by defining what constitutes discrimination against women and setting up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination. By ratifying the treaty, the US would be committing to undertake a series of measurers to end discrimination against women in all forms including: to incorporate the principle of equality of men and women in their legal system, abolish all discriminatory laws and adopt appropriate ones prohibiting discrimination against women; to establish tribunals and other public institutions to ensure the effective protection of women against discrimination; and to ensure elimination of all acts of discrimination against women by persons, organizations or enterprises. Worldwide, women are struggling to ...

From The Delaware County Daily Times PathWays PA Inc. in the Holmes section of Ridley Township was awarded $20,550 from the IRS as a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance grant. The VITA Program offers free tax help to low- to moderate-income (generally, $49,000 and below) people who cannot prepare their own tax returns. Certified volunteers sponsored by various organizations receive training to help prepare basic tax returns in communities across the country. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites are generally located at community and neighborhood centers, libraries, schools, shopping malls and other convenient locations. Most locations also offer free electronic filing. To locate the nearest VITA site, call 800-906-9887. To see the article, please visit the Daily Times website .