🏠 ‘Life-changing’ cash for renters | Morning Newsletter
And back-to-school changes.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
We’re back, Philly. The new month and “meteorological fall” have begun with sun and temps in the high 70s, but showers may appear later in the week.
For the past three years, the city has been giving cash to some struggling renters, no strings attached. The first-in-the-nation experiment has been even more successful than researchers studying its impact expected.
And both K-12 and college students in the region are settling into a new school year. Read on to learn about upward enrollments trends, new buildings on campus, SEPTA cuts’ impact on attendance, and more.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
What kind of impact does no-strings-attached cash assistance make for low-income renters in Philadelphia?
🏠 In fall 2022, the city set to find out by launching a pilot program called PHLHousing+. About 300 households were randomly selected from the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s wait lists for public housing and federal subsidies to receive monthly payments to spend on whatever they needed.
🏠 Nearly three years later, the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Housing Development Corp. are studying the impact — and calling it a resounding success. They learned that families that got cash rental assistance were less likely to be evicted, experience homelessness, and report having serious problems with their homes.
🏠 One recipient of the unrestricted cash called it “life-changing.”
Reporter Michaelle Bond has more on the experiment’s results so far.
In other housing news: Callowhill’s Willow Street Steam Plant, a long-neglected industrial building, will see new life as an apartment building after a half-century of vacancy.
Now in the first week of September, a new school year is in full swing for most K-12 schools and colleges across the region. That means new challenges, as well as new opportunities.
SEPTA cuts’ impact: Service reductions hit the Philadelphia School District hard the first week of school. Far more were late or absent than usual on the first three days of classes.
CTE support: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Mayor Cherelle L. Parker visited Dobbins High School Tuesday to show their support for career and technical education programs, as continued funding for them hinges on a resolution to the state’s ongoing budget crisis.
Fresh faces: La Salle University, which has struggled with declining enrollment and tight finances in recent years, reports a 40% jump in first-year students. Other area colleges are seeing enrollments trending up, too.
Campus expansions: Several local colleges have new or upgraded buildings on campus this semester, including Temple University’s remodeled Paley Hall and Moore College of Art & Design’s new Chestnut Street residence hall.
What you should know today
A bicyclist was killed in a hit-and-run crash Tuesday morning in Fairmount Park near the Please Touch Museum, police said.
A person in Delaware County has tested positive for West Nile virus, becoming the sixth to be diagnosed with the mosquito-borne illness in the area this year.
A young boy walking on monorail tracks at Hersheypark Saturday was rescued by a Bucks County man.
Service cuts to SEPTA Regional Rail and fare increases that were due to begin this week are on hold, for now. A Philadelphia judge will hold a hearing Thursday to consider an injunction request to make the order permanent.
Pennsylvania is braced for President Donald Trump’s administration to possibly send National Guard troops to Philadelphia, Shapiro said Tuesday. Plus: Funding SEPTA has become one of the governor’s biggest tests yet, as he finds himself in between House Democrats and the GOP Senate.
State and federal courts in Philly have paused cases connected to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office after the law enforcement agency fell prey to a ransomware attack.
Philadelphia’s collar counties are missing tens of millions of dollars in funding for social services while the state General Assembly negotiates a budget.
State Rep. Morgan Cephas announced she is joining the race for retiring U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans’ seat. In Scranton, Mayor Paige Cognetti launched her campaign to challenge freshman incumbent U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan.
Carol Saline, an award-winning writer, best-selling author, and popular public speaker, has died at 86.
Quote of the day
Now that Labor Day is over, there’s no place for the vast majority of Philadelphians to swim for free year round, despite the city’s strong history of swimming programs. This group is trying to get Philly families more year-round swimming options.
🧠 Trivia time
Quakertown’s Sabrina Carpenter and West Philly’s Colman Domingo star in a new video for her song “Tears.” Which campy classic inspired Domingo’s character?
A) Death Becomes Her
B) Pink Flamingos
C) Rocky Horror
D) Barbarella
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🦅 Anticipating: Boyz II Men’s national anthem performance before Thursday’s Eagles-Cowboys game.
🦅 Passing on: The team’s SEPTA warning for fans coming to the home opener.
🦅 Ordering: Saquon Barkley’s signature Wawa hoagie, which he dubbed “mad basic.”
🦅 Both laughing and cringing at: The Tush Push sponsor this season.
🦅 Loving: This fan’s NSFW tattoo celebrating two victories: the Super Bowl and beating cancer. (See more fans talk about their Birds tats.)
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Philly-native Today show co-host
HEELLESS ENJOIN
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Richard Brasch, who solved Sunday’s anagram: Triangle Tavern. This South Philly bar is a haven for vegan comfort food. We rounded up the city’s best sloppy vegan munchies, from seitan wings to plant-based meatballs.
Photo of the day
🌉 One last appreciative thing: Arts and culture reporter Peter Dobrin has visited Schuylkill Banks more than 50 times in three months, and calls it “one of the city’s great civic spaces.” He also has some suggestions for further improving its infrastructure.
Wishing you an easy week. Back at it tomorrow.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.