PathWays PA Policy Blog

The Adopt-a-Family program provides the opportunity for PathWays PA client families to experience the many joys of the holiday season that they otherwise may not have been able to afford. Thanks to the generous contributions of local donors, families have been able to create their own special holiday memories over the years. In fact, thousands of client families have benefited from the Adopt-a-Family program since its inception! Please help us continue this success by adopting a family or signing up to donate a Welcome Kit today ! Interested in PathWays PA posts on similar topics? 9/3/15 - Do You Need Access to Food? PathWays PA Can Help 9/1/15 - PathWays PA's Basic Center Program Helps Homeless Teen Girls Go Back to School 10/22/13 - Adopt a Family for the Holidays

If you live in Pennsylvania, don't forget to vote on November 3! Your vote matters more than ever, especially when it comes to the policies that affect women, girls, and families like the ones we serve every day. The following information is for people who are registered to vote in Pennsylvania. If you live in another state, or have questions that are not answered in this post, please visit  http://www.vote411.org/ . Who is Running for Office? On November 3, statewide elections will be held for positions on the State Supreme and Superior Courts. There may also be municipal elections (such as for mayor and City Council) and school board elections in your town. Some municipalities will also have special ballot questions. You may be able to find a list of people running on your ballot at  http://www.vote411.org/ballot . Will I Need Voter ID? IN MOST CASES, YOU WILL NOT NEED IDENTIFICATION TO VOTE IN THE NOVEMBER ELECTIONS. The Voter ID law has been overturned and is n...

Free eye care will be available for children at Wills Eye Hospital on Saturday, October 24, 2015 from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm. Children must attend with a parent or guardian, and SEPTA tokens will be available for each screened child. All children are welcome, even those without insurance! Visit  http://www.pccy.org/resource/give-kids-sight-day/ to learn more! Interested in PathWays PA posts on similar topics? 9/1/15 - PathWays PA's Basic Center Program Helps Homeless Teen Girls Go Back to School 8/25/15 - FAMILY Act 8/25/15 - Flu Season: The Case for Paid Sick Days

Birth certificates are often needed to receive medical assistance, housing and other public benefits, to obtain a Pennsylvania driver’s or nondriver’s license, for access to many public buildings, for general identification and for many other purposes. Unfortunately, individuals who become homeless due to domestic violence or other reasons do not always have access to these important documents. Since there is also a $20 fee for each birth certificate in Pennsylvania, getting new copies is challenging for low-income and homeless families. To help alleviate these needs, The Homeless Advocacy Project is sponsoring a FREE Birth Certificate Legal Clinic for homeless individuals and families at PECO headquarters at 2301 Market Street from 9-10:30 am on Wednesday, October 14, 2015. For questions, please call HAP at 215.523.9595. Homeless individuals who attend this free clinic will meet with an advocate who will request birth certificates for them and their minor children free of charge. ...

As we celebrate Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, we'd like to revisit a post from earlier this year about our Adult Ed graduates . DCLC Graduates: Suwah Davies, Michael Ernst, Onnica Gaglio, Denise King, Youssuf Kromah, LawShawna Wiley PathWays PA Graduates: Sandra Cerminaro, Anthony Freeman (not pictured - Abiodun Olawiyi) On July 29, 2015, adult education students from the PathWays PA and the Delaware County Literacy Council (DCLC) celebrated earning their GEDs at a joint ceremony. The moving ceremony began with Laila Hill, an accomplished singer, sharing her rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner. Brenda Dawson, president and CEO of PathWays PA, gave the welcome and introduction. The GED test gives students of all ages the chance to move ahead with their educational attainment. In Delaware County,  6% of adults ages 25-64 do not have a high school education . Earning the GED is much more than a certificate. The difference in earnings for Pennsylvania...

We’re excited to once again be part of a national effort to strengthen our community today by helping people learn how they can register to vote! Voters in Pennsylvania now have a new way to register, thanks to a recent decision to provide voter registration online. You can sign up to vote here. But why register in 2015, you may ask? Well next year’s Presidential election is obviously going to be one of the most important of our lifetime, but in advance of that, there are many primary elections as well as state and federal elections taking place. As a non-partisan coalition of organizations, National Voter Registration Day is the perfect opportunity to get involved no matter what party you support or which issues matter most to you. You can register to vote and learn more at www.NationalVoterRegistrationDay.org and use #CelebrateNVRD on social media to spread the word! Interested in PathWays PA posts on similar topics? 9/10/15 - #RaiseTheCaps and Stop Sequestration 7/7...

Beginning October 1, 2016, students applying for financial aid for higher education will be able to use a new, easier process being proposed today . Traditionally, students preparing for college or graduate school must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, to qualify for federal grants and loans. The FAFSA application window runs from January 1 to June 30 for the upcoming school year, so if you were going to school in September 2015, you sent in a FAFSA sometime before June 30, 2015. While the application has become easier in recent years, it still takes time and persistence. Even once the FAFSA is filed, students must sometimes wait until their taxes - and their parents taxes - are filed for the paperwork to be processed. By the time students receive their financial aid packages, they have already applied to colleges and may have even made a decision on where to go without knowing how much funding they will have. Under the new proposal being made by Pr...