🏠 Wanted: Federal help for rising rents | Morning Newsletter

I hope you enjoyed the slight coolness yesterday because we’re getting a high of 82 today. The showers may cool you off (a bit), so grab an umbrella on your way out this morning.

In today’s newsletter:

🎭 Actors: Discover what these artists are teaching medical students.

🏙️ A Philly urban legend: An architect of the Roundhouse building discusses the origin of the design.

🏠 Rising rents: How the federal government is trying to address the need for people with housing vouchers.

If you see this 🔑 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.

— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

The federal government is acknowledging what low-income renters already knew: Housing vouchers aren’t keeping up with rising rents.

The response: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced new prices it will consider as “fair market rents.” These annual values determine the maximum amount a housing choice voucher will cover in a given zip code. The new values take effect beginning Oct. 1.

The big problem: Renters who need vouchers struggle to find homes because the federal government doesn’t have enough vouchers for all households that need them. It’s common for families to spend years on wait lists. The Philadelphia Housing Authority voucher wait list has been closed for years.

Important figures: HUD’s calculation of fair market rents in the Philadelphia region will increase more than 13%.

Note: We have an interactive dataset to check out fair market rents by zip code in the metro area.

Reporter Michaelle Bond breaks down how HUD came up with the new values and how voucher holders can get help.

While veteran doctors teach medical students how to repair broken bones, actors working as standardized patients teach medical students how to care for people with compassion and understanding.

Why it’s needed: It’s a type of training medical schools are using as they grapple with deeply rooted racial biases in the health-care system that affect both patient care and physician training.

Drexel recently launched a program using standardized patients to teach doctors how to handle racial insensitivity in the workplace.

At the University of Pennsylvania, these actors are teaching students how to be sensitive to gender identity. The university is exploring how to use role-playing scenarios to better care for patients who are distrustful of doctors.

Reporter Paul Jablow explains how medical students are confronting their own biases.

Which of these music artists are not coming to perform in the Philly area?

A. Diana Ross

B. Marcus King

C. Kehlani

D. Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band

Find out if you know the answer.

Robert Geddes, an architect who designed the former police headquarters, said the idea that the building is meant to resemble handcuffs is false and “silly.”

Oh, and he also doesn’t love the nickname.

Notable quote: “I, personally, am not interested in naming a building by its shape in Philadelphia or elsewhere,” said Geddes, who will turn 99 this December. “What would you call the Empire State Building? The giant tower?”

Reporter Jake Blumgart shares his interview with Geddes as he discusses the origins of the building as well as what he hopes for its future. 🔑

💰 Sharing: Tips about next steps for student loan relief.

🎤 Listening to: The new JID Tiny Desk Concert. All of it is worth your time, but the stripped-down version of “Workin Out” is my favorite.

🍄 Anticipating: A new play about Chester County’s mushroom industry from Brooklyn artist Eisa Davis, a cast member of Mare of Easttown.

And that’s your Monday. Today’s shout-out goes to Daniel J. Tureck, who correctly guessed Jason Reid as Sunday’s answer to the anagram.

Thanks for beginning your day with The Inquirer. I’m starting the day with a quick run at Fairmount Park. Let’s start the week strong.