Responding to Family Homelessness:

A Complex Issue Needs a Holistic Approach

At HopePHL, we're committed to providing innovative, responsive services to families experiencing homelessness. We are excited to share that HopePHL has secured two grants through the William Penn Foundation totaling $1.3 million dollars to support our Homelessness Prevention and Diversion and Family Connections programs. With so many deserving causes in our city, we are both honored and grateful to receive this funding, which will help us continue our work toward improving the lives of the people we serve.

The Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Program supports at-risk households, particularly in communities of color and those with chronic illnesses, by helping them maintain housing or find safe alternatives. We provide short-term case management, landlord-tenant mediation, and financial assistance, currently serving about 75 families annually. With backing from the William Penn Foundation, we aim to assist an additional 75 families, targeting those with children aged 0-8.

Family Connections provides information on parenting, child development, and early learning through home visits, as well as access to supports like clothing, furniture, and financial assistance. We uniquely serve families experiencing homelessness, conducting visits in shelters and supportive housing programs. Annually, we assist about 50 families with children aged 0-5, with plans to expand to over 75 families with the support of this grant.

Each program's unique approach to serving families experiencing homelessness helps achieve positive outcomes for families who have faced the trauma and stress of housing insecurity like Kerry, Charles, and Cassandra. We look forward to strengthening these programs with the generous support of the William Penn Foundation!

Click here to learn more about the goals and future plans for each program.

Visitation Homes Garden Transformation

Early Learning Play Spaces is thrilled to announce the completion of the Visitation Homes Garden; a vibrant, interactive space designed to spark imagination, learning, and connection for caregivers and children at Visitation Homes, a supportive housing program serving families experiencing homelessness in Kensington.

Playful learning and active play have been thoughtfully interwoven into every section of the garden. Each feature is designed to inspire curiosity and invite open-ended exploration, encouraging rich, inquisitive conversations between caregivers and children. Whether discovering a hidden gnome, crafting with natural materials, or making music under the trees, every moment in the garden becomes an opportunity for joyful learning and meaningful connection.

Interactive Playful Learning Zones Installed 

Five unique zones now invite families to engage with the garden in multi-sensory ways: 

• Five Senses Zone - Encourages families to explore the garden using sight, sound, smell, and touch, blending natural discovery with the surrounding urban soundscape. 
• Lending Library Zone - A reading corner that invites quiet moments with books, nestled in a peaceful pocket of the urban garden. 
• Picnic Area / Makers Table Zone - A welcoming space for families to share meals, complete with playful picnic table prompts like the A-Z picnic game. The table also serves as a creative hub where children and families can collect and craft with natural materials from the garden. 
• Sensory Music Zone - Featuring drums and other instruments, this area invites families to make music together and explore sound in playful, expressive ways. 
• Calming Garden Zone - A calming area offering prompts for breathing and mindfulness, ideal for quiet reflection or imaginative play. 

Whimsy Meets Wonder: Scattered Garden Designs 

• Storytelling Steppingstones now line the garden paths. Each painted stone inspires children to hop, imagine, and create their own stories. 
• Hidden gnomes are tucked throughout the greenery, waiting to be discovered during playful family scavenger hunts. 
• The whimsical Birdhouse Tree will blossom into a colorful centerpiece, adorned with hand-painted birdhouses created by children during the ribbon-cutting event. 

Look through full gallery of pictures from the ribbon cutting here!

Celebrating Men's Health Month this June

June is Men's Health Month, with the week of June 9-15 being recognized as Men's Health Week. According to the Men's Health Month website, the purpose of Men's Health Week is to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys. Hundreds of wellness events and activities have been created across the country during this week.

We hope you join us for our very own 10th Annual Men's Wellness Day, which was originally conceived by the participants of our Men's Coffee Talk. The event is set for Saturday, June 14th from 11AM-3PM at Saunders Park Greene.

The event will include men's health screenings, mental health resources, Juneteenth celebration, Father's Day giveaway, free pop-up barbershop, lunch provided, and more!

Click here to see other celebrations happening in June!

Staff Spotlight: Carlton Steed

Truancy Intervention & Prevention Services (TIPS) is a school-based and home-based prevention program, which works with students and their families in Northwest Philadelphia who have truancy issues.

Thank you to TIPS Case Manager, Carlton Steed, for sharing about himself and his position with us this month! We are grateful for Carlton's years of dedicated service!

Job Title: Truancy Case Manager

Time at HopePHL (Formerly PEC & YSI): 40 years

Can you share more about your position? HopePHL partners with the School District of Philadelphia to support families with six or more absences. As a truancy case manager I work with school staff to help families address barriers to attendance and improve student engagement, preventing referrals to truancy court. I monitor attendance weekly and contact families through phone, text, email, or home visits for up to three 30-day periods. Parents are encouraged to track their child's attendance and communicate with the school, while students are urged to attend regularly to achieve their academic and career goals. Resources are provided as needed.

What is your favorite part about your job? Being successful in improving student's attendance, preventing referral to court and establishing education as a goal.

Who is your biggest inspiration? My people are my inspiration.



What are you most looking forward to this summer? Not being overwhelmed with work!

Learn more about TIPS here.

HopePHL Programs Work Together to Support Darien

Darien is a 17-year-old high school student participating in the Arise program. One afternoon, during a routine room check, a case manager found him at home during school hours. Darien expressed his frustration, explaining that he was exhausted from a long two-hour commute each way to school. He had to leave hours early to arrive on time and relied on multiple public transportation lines.

As a senior, it was crucial for Darien to stay in school, especially since he was on track to graduate. Although switching schools at this late stage in his high school career is not typically ideal, the Arise staff member asked if he would be interested in transferring. Darien enthusiastically agreed.

The Arise staff utilized resources through HopePHL, collaborating with program managers from the Youth & Young Adult Services and School-Aged Children Services to create a plan for Darien. The manager of HopePHL’s Thrive program reached out to a contact she had with Philadelphia School District’s Board of Education, and within 48 hours, a new school was identified. Darien began attending his new school, just days after the initial contact, and he remains on track for graduation.



Additionally, Arise was able to provide Darien with a Wi-Fi hotspot and some new school supplies within 24 hours. The dedicated staff members at Arise took proactive steps to ensure a bright future for their resident by building a comprehensive service plan at HopePHL.

Learn more about the Arise program here.

Celebrating the Life of Dr. Patrick McManus

Dr. Patrick McManus dedicated his career to giving back to the community and providing valuable resources. He worked as a Family Medicine Faculty Physician at Thomas Jefferson University for 25 years before sadly passing away last month. "There is nothing that he would not do to support those he worked with. He was available after hours and would guide young people in getting the best care possible," says Gwen Bailey, Vice President of HopePHL Programs. Gwen collaborated with Dr. McManus from the beginning, when he first had the idea to bring a medical clinic to the teen shelter in 1995.

Dr. McManus served as the Medical Director for Youth Emergency Service (YES) adolescent health program. During his peak involvement, he was at YES twice a week, supervising four to five residents from Jefferson’s Department of Family and Community Medicine who conducted health assessments and provided individualized follow-ups.

He also established a connection between YES and the summer resident program at Jefferson called Bridging the Gap. This initiative brought two medical residents to YES, where they designed and implemented a summer program based on activities requested by teens. These included both fun and educational activities.

Dr. McManus was devoted to supporting teens in need and made himself available for consultations at any time of day or night. He provided counseling to teens in a trauma-sensitive manner. Even after concluding his tenure with Jefferson, he continued to contribute in different ways, especially during the holiday season where he would fulfill wish lists for the teens at YES, to ensure that they were able to experience the joy of the holidays. Additionally, he served on the board of Youth Service, Inc.

We are deeply grateful for the years of service that Dr. McManus contributed to our community. In honor of his legacy in community medicine, we will be naming the Wellness Room at YES after him. Additionally, we will feature a permanent health-related article in our monthly newsletter, titled "The McManus Memo." He will be greatly missed, but his impact will be lasting.

Men's Coffee Talk Builds Momentum with 2nd Annual Mentorship Day

The Arlen Specter U.S. Squash Center was filled with energy as Men's Coffee Talk hosted its 2nd Annual Mentorship Day. This event brought together mentors, mentees, and community leaders from the region. It aimed to encourage meaningful conversations, build connections across generations, and promote leadership and mentoring among men.

Men's Coffee Talk was created to provide safe spaces for honest discussions among men. Over time, it has become a forum for sharing ideas and networking, growing into a community-focused think tank for effective change.

This year’s mentorship event included the Squash Center's Youth Leadership Initiatives, career coaching, breakout discussions, and panel talks with local educators, entrepreneurs, and civic leaders. The glass-walled squash courts served as a backdrop, symbolizing transparency and resilience, which were key themes of the day. The success of this event shows a growing mentoring movement that responds to our community's need for support.

"As Men's Coffee Talk looks to the future, we're not just talking about change - we’re cultivating it,” said Kevin Brown the group’s founder and event organizer. He continued, "mentorship is our investment in the next generation. This conference allowed us to connect, reflect, and strategize innovative approaches to mentorship!"

If you would like to learn more or get involved with Men's Coffee Talk, keep up with their upcoming events at hopephl.org/events or contact Kevin Brown at kevinb@hopephl.org.

Counting Down to the Jazz Festival

This year’s headline act is V. Shayne Frederick. For over two decades, V. Shayne has worked as a recording artist, composer, educator, and skillful performer. He has been featured at TEDx, NPR, numerous music festivals, museums, and jazz clubs throughout the country. In recent years, he has curated a weekly musical series at South Jazz Kitchen. He has created scores for film and commercials, garnering international attention and winning an award at the Black Star Film Festival. His musical production work has appeared in Visit Philadelphia commercials and other film media.



Crowd favorite Glenn Bryan & Friends will be joining us once again for this year’s festival to showcase a blend of Jazz and Latin Jazz music. The group consists of Glenn Bryan on piano and keyboards, Lee Patterson on bass, Kevin James on drums, Jordan Damiani on guitar, Rick Morales on percussion, and vocalist Anessa Larae. The originality of Glenn Bryan & Friends offers an experience that uniquely blends the talents of all the musicians into their own unique musical journey.

We hope to you'll join us to see the acts above and more! The Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival is keeping live music alive in West Philadelphia on Saturday, July 19 from 12PM-7PM at Saunders Park Greene, 39th & Powelton. This is the 19th season for the festival, which attracts 3,000 people a year. Other festival activities include local vendors, food trucks, and a children’s area with arts and crafts, story time, and face painting. The event is rain or shine, free and open to the public.

Check out our Jazz Festival page for all updates!

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