Media Mentions
Workers at Philadelphia Museum of Art ramp up pressure for fair contract
Nearly two years ago, workers at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) made history by voting 89% in favor of forming the country’s first wall-to-wall museum union. A relatively new phenomenon in the cultural sector, a wall-to-wall union allows for all eligible...
It’s Time for Pennsylvania to Act on Environmental Justice
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has an open public comment period on proposed revisions to the DEP’s Environmental Justice Policy guidance (EJ Policy). The deadline for written comments is May 11 and the last of four public hearings is May 4 at...
A city initiative and a State Senate bill show promise for retrofitting homes, but not without big challenges
Philadelphia’s built environment is responsible for about 70% of its carbon footprint, making it a key sector to tackle in order to meet climate goals. Building new, efficient buildings is part of the solution, but experts say there’s a practical need to work with...
Pennsylvania nursing home buyers would face more scrutiny under state health proposal
In the most complete revision of its nursing home rules in at least 25 years, the Pennsylvania Department of Health last month proposed new regulations that would require more scrutiny of homes’ prospective owners. For the first time, regulators would analyze the...
William Way receives $2.5 million from Gov. Wolf to assist with renovations
Gov. Wolf recently awarded $32.85 million in Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) funding to support 13 community economic development and revitalization projects in Pennsylvania, including $2.5 million for William Way LGBT Community Center to assist with...
Rep. Dwight Evans unveils $51 billion proposal to fight gun violence in Philadelphia
Adressing gun violence in Philadelphia and other communities across the country requires an "all-hands" approach, Congressman Dwight Evans said on Thursday. Evans unveiled his $51 billion proposal to address the gun violence crisis in a press conference held at Temple...
Pennsylvania needs rental assistance and eviction diversion programs, activists and lawmakers say
Several state lawmakers, researchers and activists gathered in the state capital to call for an inclusive, permanent fund to help renters in the commonwealth. The action last week was fueled by a new study by the left-of-center Keystone Research Center and PA Budget...
How Repairing and Modernizing Aging Homes Can Contribute to Housing Affordability
“The nation’s affordable housing crisis has gotten some semblance of attention — with journalists writing stories on the rising cost of rent, the scarce supply of new housing, the looming threat of eviction — but one aspect of the crisis has gone consistently...
How to fight the affordable housing and climate crises at once
Alicia Cruz was homeless before she and her four daughters moved into a newly vacant apartment in Lancaster City, Pennsylvania, about three years ago. As she stood in the kitchen and watched dirty water clog up the sink, the landlord promised he’d have it fixed before...
Report: Pandemic worsened Pennsylvania’s affordable rental housing crisis
A new report from the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center has found that the affordable rental housing problem Pennsylvania faced prior to the pandemic is only worse now. The report looked at who Pennsylvania renters are, who was burdened by housing costs prior to...
Senator Nikil Saval Hopes to Secure Funding for the Whole-Home Repairs Act
State Senator Nikil Saval, D-Philadelphia, launched the beginning of campaign week for the Whole-Home Repairs Act on Monday morning at Hawthorne Park in Philadelphia. The Whole-Home Repairs Act (Senate Bill 1135) is a bipartisan bill that creates a one-stop-shop for...
Experts examine Philadelphia’s Black-white homeownership gap
A group of experts and policymakers delved into ways to address racial disparities in homeownership during a virtual event held by the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. “For decades Philadelphia has had a reputation as an affordable...
Councilmembers Gilmore Richardson and Parker introduce resolution in support of home repairs legislation
Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson (D-At-Large) and Councilmember Cherelle L. Parker (D-9th Dist.) introduced a resolution last week calling on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to adopt the “Whole Home Repairs Act,” sponsored by State Senator Nikil Saval...
Bill to ban spot appeals would eliminate the Pennsylvania ‘newcomer tax’
(The Center Square) – The practice of spot appeals to reassess property taxes after a sale may be coming to an end in Pennsylvania. While the state’s uniformity clause prevents individual properties from being singled out, that has not stopped some school districts in...
Legisladores proponen crear fondo estatal para reparaciones de viviendas de bajos ingresos
FILADELFIA, PA- Algunos propietarios de viviendas que se enfrentan a costosas reparaciones en el hogar podrían obtener algo de alivio en virtud de la Ley de reparaciones integrales del hogar, un esfuerzo bipartidista encabezado por el senador estatal Nikil Saval, que...
Pennsylvania lawmakers want to create a state fund for low-income home repairs
Some homeowners grappling with costly home repairs could get some relief under the Whole-Home Repairs Act, a bipartisan effort led by state Sen. Nikil Saval, who represents portions of Philadelphia. The bill would establish a state fund, which would distribute funding...
Republicans in Harrisburg are using Ukraine to promote a climate-denialist agenda | Editorial
Republican lawmakers are using Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine to advance their anti-climate agenda. With bills bearing jingoistic names such as “PA Energy Independence Act” and “Ending Pro-Putin Pipeline Bans,” Republicans in the state legislature have proposed a...
Senator Nikil Saval and Berks Stands Up call for passage of Whole-Home Repairs Act
State Senator Nikil Saval (D–Philadelphia) and Berks Stands Up brought together residents, community leaders, and elected officials Wednesday afternoon in Reading’s Centre Park in a united call for the passage of Pennsylvania’s Whole-Home Repairs Act (SB1135), a...
This week’s biggest Winners & Losers
Nikil Saval: A bipartisan group of state lawmakers wants it to be Tool Time here in the commonwealth. Say “hidey-ho, neighbor” to the Whole-Home Repairs Act, a home repair and weatherization assistance bill introduced by state Sen. Nikil Saval. With support from three...
Reading rally supports legislation to help homeowners make home repairs
Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians are living in homes that are unsafe because they can’t afford to make repairs, state Sen. Nikil Saval said. “Every person has the right to a home that is safe, a home that is healthy,” the Philadelphia Democrat said Wednesday in...
Pennsylvania Senate bill would help people pay for home repairs
LANCASTER, Pa. — A group in Lancaster is urging the Pennsylvania Senate to pass a bill that would help preserve existing homes and provide funding for basic repairs. Lancaster Stands Up hosted an event Tuesday to promote the Whole-Home Repairs Act (Senate Bill 1135)....
Touring Southeast Lancaster with Sen. Saval
Following Tuesday's news conference in support of his Whole-Home Repairs Act, state Sen. Nikil Saval joined Lancaster City Council President Ismail Smith-Wade-El and local advocates for a tour of the city's southeast. As the tour proceeded up North Duke Street,...
Senator Nikil Saval has a bill to pay for home repairs across PA
On Monday, March 21, PA State Senator Nikil Saval launched his campaign for Pennsylvania’s Whole-Home Repairs Act (Senate Bill 1135), a bipartisan legislation that would establish a one-stop shop for home repairs and weatherization while creating new jobs. Monday’s...
Rally in Lancaster raises awareness of Whole Home Repairs Act
LANCASTER, Pa. (WHTM) — A rally in Lancaster brought many homeowners together to raise awareness about the Whole Home Repairs Act. This is a bipartisan bill highlighting the importance of home repairs and weatherization and will fight for homeowners who live in unsafe...
Homeowners could get up to $50,000 to make repairs under proposed bill
LANCASTER, Pa. — Newly proposed legislation is taking aim at blight and hundreds of thousands of homes in desperate need of repair and weatherization. The Whole-Home Repairs Act would create a program to assess home repair needs and find contractors and community...
Hidey-ho neighbor: GOP backs Dems’ home improvement bill in bipartisan effort to fight blight
This bipartisan home improvement bill, the Whole-Home Repairs Act, isn’t just for show. The legislation backed by progressive lawmakers and organizations in Philadelphia has already received support from three Republican state senators: Dan Laughlin of Erie County,...
GOP legislators are backing Philly Dems’ housing bill. Why? Blight is a statewide issue
A coalition of progressive Pennsylvania Democrats has begun pushing a bill that would use a chunk of the state’s budget surplus to help people pay for home repairs. But unlike many Democratic funding initiatives in Harrisburg, this one isn’t automatically doomed. Key...
State Senator Nikil Saval Launches Whole Home Repair Campaign with Housing and Climate Advocates
State Senator Nikil Saval launched a campaign for his Whole-Home Repairs Act Monday morning in South Philadelphia. The legislation is a rare moment of bipartisanship in a fiercely partisan environment. The act would provide money and support for home modernization...
Need a new roof? One Pa. lawmaker wants to help pay for home repairs for those who can’t afford it
A Pennsylvania lawmaker wants to create a new state fund for people who can’t afford basic home repairs or weatherization. Introduced earlier this month, the Whole-Home Repairs Act would provide eligible residents with grants of up to $50,000. Small landlords could...
Pennsylvania budget forecasts, by political parties, are at odds
(The Center Square) – A Senate Appropriations Committee hearing with the secretary of the budget and secretary of general services focused on making state government efficient – and accurately projecting the state budget’s cost to taxpayers, now and in the future. The...
Wolf Administration Announces $500K Grant For FDR Park Improvements
Harrisburg, PA -- Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Deputy Secretary Lauren Imgrund today announced the department has awarded a $500,000 grant for environmental and infrastructure improvements to FDR Park in Philadelphia. "I am happy to...
Philadelphia Council Supports Unionization of Starbucks Workers
PHILADELPHIA — Today, March 3, 2022 City Council expressed their strong support for Philadelphia Starbucks workers who are attempting to form a union, unanimously passing a resolution introduced by Councilmember Kendra Brooks (At-Large) and Councilmember Helen Gym...
City Council Expresses Support for Philadelphia Starbucks Unionization Efforts, Calls on Starbucks to Accept Card Check Neutrality
PHILADELPHIA — Today, City Council expressed their strong support for Philadelphia Starbucks workers who are attempting to form a union, unanimously passing a resolution introduced by Councilmember Kendra Brooks (At-Large) and Councilmember Helen Gym (At-Large)....
Organizations Say Meek Mill And Celebrity Takeover Of Criminal Justice Reform Weakens Their Work
It’s been three years since hip-hop artist Meek Mill, along with some of his celebrity and billionaire friends, launched the REFORM Alliance – an organization dedicated to changing laws around probation and parole. But some longstanding criminal justice reform...
How a redesign of Washington Avenue got detoured by a clash of competing needs
It seemed to be a wrap when the plan was announced two years ago. Washington Avenue, the wide and often chaotic arterial with white-knuckle traffic slicing through South Philadelphia, would be narrowed from five vehicle lanes to three, with two parking-protected bike...
Meek Mill’s Bills Show Limits of Probation Reform
LAST JUNE, rapper Meek Mill stood behind then-Gov. Ralph Northam as the Virginia Democrat signed a probation reform bill into law. Meek Mill’s 11 years on probation, which started with gun and drug charges in Philadelphia when he was 19, inspired his push to reform...
House and Senate lawmakers announce relief plan for rental assistance fund
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Lawmakers from the state House and Senate held a news conference today to outline plans to restore Pennsylvania’s depleted Emergency Rental Assistance Program and help thousands whose incomes were affected by the pandemic. State Senators Vincent...
In their own words: Local leaders urge Congress to act on climate
“In Philadelphia, schools routinely have to close during the summer because temperatures inside the buildings grow dangerously hot. In the winter, households face crushing utility bills. And year round, whole neighborhoods are traumatized by losing everything to flood...
Legislators are urging more financial help for Pennsylvania renters
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- More relief could soon be coming to Pennsylvania renters and landlords. Legislators are calling for millions of dollars to be put into the state's depleted Emergency Rental Assistance Program. "Our proposal is asking simply for $500 million to...
City, facing criticism, says Washington Ave. pivot was a ‘matter of equity’
City officials sparked outrage Saturday when they reversed course on a planned “road diet” for one of the city’s most dangerous thoroughfares. But the transportation officials say the decision was meant to promote equity. Officials in Philadelphia’s Office of...