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