COVID Alert PA App

COVID Alert PA is the official mobile app by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) that uses the Exposure Notification System (ENS) provided by Apple and Google.

You can now add your phone to the fight against COVID-19 by going to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and downloading the free COVID Alert PA app to your smartphone. The app runs on iPhones that support iOS 13.5 and higher, and Android phones running Android 6.0 and higher. The app is not intended to be used by people under 18 years of age.
After you download COVID Alert PA to your smartphone, you can opt-in to receive alerts if you have had a potential exposure to someone who tested positive for COVID-19. COVID Alert PA works in Pennsylvania, and when you travel to other locations in the United States including Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Washington D.C., Wyoming, and some parts of California.

Read here.

VOTING UPDATES...

Map: Philly election offices where voters can register, request a mail ballot, and drop it off
BillyPenn Staff.

There are also secure drop boxes for casting your early mail vote.
Philadelphia voters can visit satellite election offices across the city to cast their votes early in the 2020 general election. They’re mostly located inside public schools, and will be open seven days a week, with hours of 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Find a list and map of the locations here.

When you visit, you can do any or all of the following, all in one trip:

• Register to vote

• Change your registration (if you moved or changed your name)

• Apply for and get approved for a mail ballot

• Request a new mail ballot if yours hasn’t arrived yet

• Fill out your mail ballot

• Seal your ballot in the secrecy envelope, place it in the outer envelope, sign your name, and return your ballot

The deadline for the city to receive mail ballots has been extended to 5 p.m. on Nov. 6, the Friday following Election Day, for any ballots sent through the mail on or before Nov. 3.

• Important: In order for mail ballots to count, they must be enclosed in the special secrecy envelope that fits within the regular envelope. (No “naked ballots.”).

• If you applied to vote by mail but decide you want to vote in person on Nov. 3 instead, you can bring your ballot to your designated polling place — as well as both envelopes — and hand it to the poll worker. The judge of elections will need to hold up the line and fill out an affadavit, after which you can then step into the voting booth.

More details here.

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How to make sure your vote still counts if you think you submitted a ‘naked ballot’ in Pennsylvania
Jonathan Lai, Philadelphia Inquirer

Worried you submitted a “naked ballot” in Pennsylvania? You can still make sure your vote is counted. Voters who turned in mail ballots that they fear could be rejected because they made a mistake — such as not using the inner secrecy envelope — can go to the polls on Election Day and use a provisional ballot that would ultimately be counted, the Pennsylvania Department of State said this week. “If the voter believes that he/she has not returned or cast the ballot successfully or otherwise contests his/her ballot status, the poll worker shall provide the voter a provisional ballot,” the department, which oversees elections, said in new guidance to local officials issued Wednesday. That provides a solution for voters who may inadvertently turn in a naked or otherwise flawed ballot and realize it before Nov. 3.

More details here.

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Haven't received your Pennsylvania mail ballot yet? Here's what to do.
Jonathan Lai, Philadelphia Inquirer

There are a lot of ballots moving around right now.
In the first election in which any Pennsylvania voter can use mail ballots, 2.8 million voters have requested and been approved to vote by mail. While many voters have already received their ballots and submitted their votes, others have been left worrying: Has my ballot been lost? Did I miss something up in my application? Will I have time to vote with it?

Breathe. You’ve got options.

Click here for details.

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Paid jobs to Support Voting in Philly - Apply Now!

There are several paid opportunities to help the City on election day and at early vote centers, plus some administrative work to support the overall effort. Please take a look and apply directly now if you are interested:

• 1. Additional election day work - "Rovers".
  The City of Philadelphia and City Commissioners are organizing a Roving Program to provide additional support outside polling places across the city.
  

• 2. Clerical Assistants May Be Needed for Early Voting Centers.
  Clerical Assistants will engage in a variety of clerical tasks, including but not limited to: data entry and processing, filing, and proof-reading.
  

• 3. Additional opportunities to provide administrative support to the Philadelphia elections administration team.
  Multiple openings and start dates!

Job Details here.

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Time is running out: Visit One-Stop (Satellite Offices) locations that are available where you can request mail ballot and drop it off all at once. See BillyPenn article below for more details.

• Already mailed your ballot, track it here. If you have not mailed your ballot yet, then visit a drop off box or satellite office.
  Call this number: 215-686-3940, if the website to track you ballot is down.
  

• If you plan to vote in person on November 3rd: use your address to find your polling place. There are fewer polling places in the neighborhood than in past elections.

Car Theft Alert!!

SKCP COMMUNITY ZONING VIRTUAL MEETING

Wednesday, OCTOBER 28th at 6.30 pm.

To register for the meeting click here.

You may also sign up by calling South Kensington Community Partners’ office at 215-427-3463 and leaving a message with your name and number. SKCP will provide reasonable accommodation to any neighbor that requests additional assistance with joining the meeting or otherwise submitting feedback on the project.

The sites to be discussed at the meeting are the following:

• 1801-59 N American Street (Info only), view here the plans.

• 1800-18 N 4TH Street, view here the plans .

• 1705 N American Street, view here the plans.

• 1640 N Hancock Street (Info only), view here the plans. 

• 214 W Oxford Street, view here the plans.

+Click here to view the details for each site.

We will have limited time for questions during the virtual meeting. To ensure your question is answered, please review project materials in advance of the meeting and submit any questions to rco@southkensingtoncommunity.org and include the project name in the email subject line.

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SKCP VIRTUAL COMMUNITY MEETING

Please note that must register in advance to be granted access.

Click here to register.

Short-term Training for Careers in the Health & Wellness Fields.

Community College of Philadelphia.
Wednesday, Oct. 28
6 to 7:30 p.m.

If you’re looking to start a career in the popular health and wellness industry, don’t miss this information session. Community College of Philadelphia offers a variety of workforce development certificate programs in online and hybrid-learning formats that give you the skills you need for entry-level employment.

Featured programs include:
-Dental Assisting
-Massage Therapy
-Dialysis Technician
-Phlebotomy
-Pharmacy Technician
-Clinical Medical Assistant
-EKG Technician

Want to learn more? Register to learn about program requirements, cost and employment opportunities. It’s time to navigate your future toward success!

RSVP Here. We will email you the Zoom login information before the session.

FAQ: What you need to know about masks and covid-19

Allyson Chiu, Washington Post

At this stage in the novel coronavirus pandemic, masks are a fact of life. A majority of states and businesses have mask mandates, and mounting scientific evidence supports wearing them. Below we’ve compiled answers to some of the most commonly asked questions surrounding masks and how to navigate pandemic life in them. These recommendations are drawn from previously published Washington Post articles and new interviews with medical professionals and public health experts who have been on the front lines of this pandemic. Please keep in mind that as the novel coronavirus continues to be studied and understood, masking advice may change, and we will update this FAQ accordingly.
Read here.

PA Unemployment Chatbot

With unemployment hotline overloaded and stimulus on hold, PA boosts chatbot 90x. If Congress approves a new package, benefits would be retroactive through September.
Layla A. Jones, BillyPenn

If you’re one of the many people chasing info on unemployment compensation in Pennsylvania, communication should soon get better, at least online. With the state’s phone hotline notoriously hard to get through, the Department of Labor and Industry is bulking up a new chatbot feature. Right now, the website can handle just 500 simultaneous chats, but that’ll ramp up to 50k by the end of the year, a spokesperson told Billy Penn.
A 24/7 virtual assistant that can answer about 450 commonly asked unemployment compensation questions — including queries from employers — the bot is an update to the already existing UC Live Chat, which connects users with actual unemployment office staff via instant messaging.

Read here.

WATER BILL ASSISTANCE!!

Request water bill assistance before shutoffs restart in 2021

The Philadelphia Water Department and PhilaRevenue took the bold step of extending COVID-19 emergency water-protection measures. That means residential and commercial water customers won’t be shut off until April 1, 2021 –even in the case non-payments.

However, if you’re not paying your water bill, your balance will continue to grow and become harder to manage once shutoffs restart. Get ahead of the problem by applying for water bill help today: www.phila.gov/water-bill-help. A loss of income during the pandemic may qualify you for special assistance.

CLICK HERE to Learn how to tell if you are eligible for a Water Customer Assistance Program.

HOMEBUYING SCAMS

New legislation to limit predatory homebuyers

Many homeowners in Philadelphia receive repeated calls, letters, and visits from “We Buy Houses” residential property wholesalers offering cash to buy their homes or other property they own. Often, these wholesalers target people who are going through financial hardship and use high-pressure tactics to convince homeowners to sign agreements to sell. They target homeowners in neighborhoods with rising home values, especially in Black and Latinx communities.
These wholesalers often offer far less than the actual value of their property. As a result, long-time homeowners lose valuable wealth and family homes are lost. Before You Sell, Get Your Intel: Homebuying Scams FAQ

Legislation in City Council would curb the worst abuses in this industry.

Community Legal Services would like to hear from you if you or anyone you know has been affected by these "We Buy Houses" wholesalers. Available flyer in English and Spanish.

More details here.

Register to Vote NOW!!!

• Monday, October 19th is the last day to register to vote, or update/check your registration. Do that NOW at a county election office or online here.
  

• Time is running out: Visit One-Stop (Satellite Offices) locations that are available where you can register, request mail ballot and drop it off all at once. See article below for more details.
  

• Already mailed your ballot, track it here. If you have not mailed your ballot yet, then visit a drop off box or satellite office.
  Call this number: 215-686-3940, if the website to track you ballot is down.
  

• If you plan to vote in person on November 3rd: use your address to find your polling place. There are fewer polling places in the neighborhood than in past elections.

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Want to be a poll worker? Philly says it’s responding to ‘unprecedented’ number of applicants
Ximena Conde, WHYY When the Philadelphia City Commissioners put out the call in August asking young people to work the polls for the Nov. 3 election, 18-year-old Abigail Thomas didn’t think twice. According to Kevin Feeley, a spokesman for the city, neither did 20,000 other people and it’s taking some time to sort through all of those applications. But even when all 8,500 workers are assigned to polling locations, the thousands of applicants who don’t make the cut shouldn’t expect an email saying their services won’t be required, according to City Commissioner Omar Sabir. He said that’s because he wants to retain some flexibility should a large group of people call out. “[Applicants] could get an email on Election Day,” said Sabir, adding poll workers are not being picked on a first-come, first-served basis.
The city chooses poll workers based on language skills they can use to help voters whose first language isn’t English, as well as their proximity to the polling location. Sabir said poll workers who live near the polling location are more likely to show up on Election Day.

Read here.

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Everything Pa. poll watchers can — and can’t — do on Election Day, explained
Joseph Darius Jaafari and Emily Previti, WITF

State Democrats and Republicans are training a small army of partisan poll watchers to be their eyes and ears at voting sites across the state, a typical and legal process that allows both parties to monitor activities on Election Day and flag potential problems. Polling places are generally intended to be safe spaces devoid of political influence, allowing people to cast their ballot freely and without fear. So what exactly is a poll watcher? What are they allowed to do? And what actions could get someone in trouble?
Here’s everything you need to know about poll watchers before you vote.

New Deadline for the 2020 Census!!

UPDATE on the new deadline for the 2020 Census and what you can do to help us make a final and urgent push to Get Out the Count

1. As of right now, internet self-response will continue being available across the nation through Thursday, October 15 until 11:59 PM Hawaii Standard Time, or 6:00 AM on Friday, October 16 Eastern Daylight Time. Visit 2020census.gov to respond TODAY.
   

2. Responding to the census by phone will be available for its regularly scheduled time from 7 AM to 2 AM on October 15. Call 844-330-2020 to respond to the census by phone, or click here for a list of phone numbers in 13 other languages.
   

3. Paper responses must be postmarked by tomorrow, Thursday, October 15.
   

4. Enumerators will continue their nonresponse follow up activities through the end of the day on Thursday, October 15.

There’s still time to help Get Out the Count in Philly!

Join Philly Countsfor phone bank parties from 6-8 PM tonight and tomorrow night. Please see below for details and registration links:

Phone Bank with Philly Counts!

• Today, 10/14
  6-8 PM
  Click here to register!
  

• Thursday, 10/15
  6-8 PM
  Click here to register!

Take Action Online! Remind Your Friends, Family, and Followers.
If you regularly open this email, hopefully your household has already completed the Census. And maybe you are a little tired of reading about it week after week? Or maybe enumerators have come to your door repeatedly. During dinner.

BUT the Final Deadline is TOMORROW!!

The bad news is thatless than 54% of households in many parts of Old/South Kensington have responded.This response is nearly 10% lower than 2010 numbers. The result will be less funding and less representation for our neighborhood and our city at a really critical time in history.

So please complete your census and consider taking the time to make sure your friends and neighbors have done the same. Especially if you live in an apartment or condo building where enumerators have not been able to knock on doors.


For a more detailed news read the official statementfrom the U.S. Census Bureau..

Clerical Assistants to help staff and open satellite election offices, hiring immediately

The City of Philadelphia, partnering with the Philadelphia City Commissioners, is hiring Clerical Assistants to help staff and open satellite election offices, hiring immediately.

Clerical Assistants will engage in a variety of clerical tasks, including but not limited to: data entry and processing, filing, and proof reading. Candidates should be knowledgeable of:

• Office practices and procedures

• The English language, spelling, and general clerical procedures

• Arithmetic

• Basic computing including Microsoft office applications

Additional requirements:

• Applicants must be 18 years of age or older

• Must be a Philadelphia resident

• Must be willing to work a full-time schedule

If interested in applying, please follow this link: Click here

Covid-19 Testing @ Norris Square

For appointments please call 267-436.312

SEPTA Survey to Help to Improve Their Service

SEPTA is redesigning the signage for its “Rail Transit” network to make sure riders have consistent information where and when they need it. You may not know what we mean by rail transit, and that’s something we want to fix. It refers to the Market-Frankford Line, Broad Street Line, City Trolleys, Media-Sharon Hill Lines, and Norristown High Speed Line.
We’re still early in the process, so right now we’re focused on collecting as much information as possible about current signage and communications on the Rail Transit Network.

Please take this survey (also in Spanish) to share your perspective and sign up for updates

Plan, Prepare, Protect

To connect to Plan, Prepare, Protect Virtual Tour use the Zoom information provided below.

The Tangled Title Fund (TTF)is a grant program to help preserve affordable housing, prevent homelessness, and strengthen communities.

More details here.

OSL Green: La Esquina Community Garden

Funny you should ask. Here are some recent photographs to give a hint of what’s still to come! Plus a few things that are coming into their own, at the tail end of the summer growing season.
A couple of first-year (think freshmen?! :-) fruit bushes were planted in the spring: a fig and some blackberry and raspberry bushes. They both are doing extremely well, which is exciting to think about for next year and coming years. And each of them produced one fruit. So cute, so amazing. I didn't get a photo of the little fig, but here's one of the little raspberry.

Click here to view the news.

Voting: Important deadlines

October 19 is the last day to register to vote.

October 27 last day to request a mail in ballot, but USPS recommends no later than Oct. 19.

DO. NOT. WAIT.

Visit a satellite election office location where you can go to register to vote, request a mail-in ballot, receive your ballot, vote, and return it, all in one visit.

Online/Absentee Ballot Tracking, click here.

Procrastinator’s guide to the 2020 general election in Philadelphia
Max Marin, Michaela Winberg, Layla A. Jones, and Mikyhial Clarke, BillyPenn.
A cheat sheet for what you need to know to cast your vote.
More here.

REGISTE TO VOTE @ SKCP

For more information contact

rdavis@southkensingtoncommunity.org

Your Last Chance for the Next 10 Years

If you regularly open this email, hopefully your household has already completed the Census. And maybe you are a little tired of reading about it week after week? Or maybe enumerators have come to your door repeatedly. During dinner. The good news then is that these pleas will end soon, once the Final Deadline of OCTOBER 31st is reached. The bad news is that, as of this week, less than 54% of households in many parts of Old/South Kensington have responded. This response is nearly 10% lower than 2010 numbers. The result will be less funding and less representation for our neighborhood and our city at a really critical time in history. So please complete your census and consider taking the time to make sure your friends and neighbors have done the same. Especially if you live in an apartment or condo building where enumerators have not been able to knock on doors.

Join Us For A Volunteer Shift This Weekend!

As we continue our urgent work towards a complete and accurate count in Philadelphia, we want to make sure that you’re signed up and ready to volunteer with us this weekend!
We will be out all weekend to distribute census materials and help people complete the census at early voting sites throughout the city. Morning shifts from 9:30am - 12:30pm and afternoon shifts from 12:30 - 3:30pm are still available!

Weekend Volunteer Opportunities

• Saturday, October 10th

Volunteer to help residents fill out their 2020 census!
Early Voting Site
9:30 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. (3 hour shift)
Register here!

• Sunday, October 11th

Volunteer to help residents fill out their 2020 census!
Early Voting Site
9:30 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. (3 hour shift)
Register here!

Do you know of any places we should consider in our engagement schedule? Use this link to submit a location. We will work to assign Philly Counts staff, volunteers, or a Census Bureau representative to attend to help folks complete the 2020 Census.