PCDC Fights for Your Rights

It has been a busy year in 2017. PCDC has been fighting on multiple fronts to maintain or expand services for residents. Here are some of our efforts:

• PCDC wants all agencies to improve their service to clients. PCDC asked that the National Industry Standards Committee for Financial Capability and Rental Housing Counseling add standards for counseling agencies: 1) ask clients to disclose preferred language; 2) deliver language-appropriate counseling; and 3) explain to clients how their personal information will be used;
• PCDC reports to National CAPACD and the Federal
  Housing Finance Agency on banks’ performance on serving limited English speaking homebuyers for home loans;
• PCDC testified at the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Preliminary Action Plan hearing and at the budget hearings for City Council in support of increased access to city services and housing for immigrants, as well as increased funding for tenant representation to prevent evictions. The City allocated an additional $100,000 in the next year’s budget towards eviction prevention; and
• PCDC wrote to the Department of Human Services to oppose their proposal to reduce grant amounts to residents applying for the LIHEAP (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program) and to shorten the grant period.

However, we cannot enact a change alone. We need your support!

We have written a letter to the DHS fighting cuts to the LIHEAP program, which serves 75,000 Philadelphians annually. The letter explains how grant cuts may prevent families from utilizing crisis grants at all, because utility companies reject payments less than the amount owed. The shortened grant period also prevents families from requesting assistance during the crucial month of November, threatening to leave families without utilities during Thanksgiving.

Please join us in our campaign to stop LIHEAP cuts.

Send a letter to Brian Whorl, Director of the Division of
Federal Programs and Program Management at

Department of Human Services,
P.O. Box 2675
Harrisburg, PA 17110

Or by email at LIHEAPmail@pa.gov