Tanya (name changed for privacy) was connected to YES in 2021 at 13 years old. She was struggling to communicate her concerns with her parents as they were in the middle of a separation. She began experiencing problems in school and was missing curfew so she sought out a safer space at YES. It was then discovered that YES also previously housed Tanya's older half-sister, who was able to support us in assisting Tanya with in her goals.

After residing at YES for fourmonths, Tanya reunited with her mother and continued receiving services in her home. However, at the end of 2023, Tanya returned to YES because she had an argument with her mother that became physical. Tanya saw YES as a safe space to focus on her goals, feel supported, and to simply be a teenager.

She was in the 12th grade and remained with us from early November through the end of December before she transitioned to a different placement. Tanya participated in many programs that were offered such as medical screenings, tutoring, and the Sunday Wellness program. Even after being moved to a different placement Tanya remained in contact with us and would frequently stop by to visit and for advice.

Tanya graduated with her high school diploma last month, in February 2024 and participated in a ceremony! She was so proud to tell us about her accomplishment and show us her graduation pictures. Tanya included that she was appreciative for the support from YES even when it came to tough conversations and decisions.

At HopePHL's Youth Shelter, we are hoping to provide a safe and supportive environment to teens who may not have the most ideal home life. When in the right environment and with the proper guidance, these teens are able to live up to their full potential and truly thrive!

Baring House Crisis Nursery operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and provides children with temporary childcare and support from trained staff, freshly prepared meals, and developmentally appropriate opportunities for play and learning for children under age six. In March we had a visit from the Action for Early Learning Virtual Classroom!

Baring House's agenda included a Good Morning song, Science with Mr. Trae, Word of the Day, Cooking with Ms. Erica, a breathing exercise with Ms. April, and a closing song with Elmo!

Trae Pate, a representative from the Academy of Natural Sciences presented a science activity where the kids were able paint pictures using objects such as marbles in order to learn about the motion by rolling them through the paint. For their cooking activities the children and some parent volunteeers made a yummy treat to enjoy right away using graham crackers, whipped cream, and apples making apple pie in a cup. They also used cucumbers, vinegar, and spices to make their own pickles to enjoy later.

Thank you to Action For Early Learning for providing a fun, educational, and activity-filled morning for our kids!

Throughout our lives as there will always be transitional periods. No matter the transition, it always helps to have people in your corner to be a strong support system and help you grow through the process.

Shirley (name changed for privacy) arrived, at what was then People's Emergency Center, with 4 young children. She lived in our Emergency Housing program, Transitional Housing program, then with the support of her case manager, our Supportive Housing program where she lived for 8 years with her children.

Shirley showed a great deal of determination and resiliency in overcoming her sometimes paralyzing depression. Once entering our Supportive Housing, Shirley was able to gain full-time employment which gave her a sense of purpose and did wonders in improving her mental health.

After she was working for some time, the Philadelphia Housing Authority started accepting Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Shirley jumped to the opportunity to move out into a safer community. Her case manager supported her by providing landlord contact information, helping with the application, and guiding her throughout the rest of the process. Even going as far as advocating for her to receive rental assistance.

Shirley expressed sincere gratitude to HopePHL for guiding her family over the years through their various transitions. We are grateful to be a support system for our residents and families each and every day!

With the winter moratorium on utility shut-offs quickly to an end at the end of this month, the Neighborhood Advisory Committee and Division of Housing and Community Development partnered with Community Legal Services at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Karabots Pediatric Care Center to host a Utility Clinic on Friday, March 15th. This event is part of HopePHL's Community Development Corporation's programming, which also includes tangled title educational events and record clearing clinics.

Legal experts met with people on a first come-first serve basis, to discuss their gas, electric, and water bills.

From there, each person was directed to a breakout room which were each designated to a specific utility company. Attendees were then able to learn about short-term solutions to avoid any disruption in services, as well as programs that may be in place to help them moving forward with paying their bills each month.

Facing possible utility shut-off for a family can be extremely scary and overwhelming, that is why clinics like these are so important to the community. HopePHL is proud to come together with our partners to advocate for reasonable arrangements to be made for our community members to maintain a comfortable living.

Each year, we have discussed how to build resiliency in young children experiencing homelessness by connecting their families to high-quality early child education programs (ECE). This year, we will focus on infants and toddlers experiencing homelessness. We will offer three new policy briefs that set the agenda for the work that needs to be accomplished by the homeless housing and ECE systems. 

We will also be releasing a new report at the Summit, be among the first to receive the new study that focuses on infants and toddlers experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia.