CITY HALL

Interruptions and Delays in City Services Due to Extensive Position Vacancies

Approximately one in seven municipal jobs in Philadelphia are currently vacant — from librarians and social workers to police and corrections officers — causing severe service interruptions for people across the city. This stems largely from the relatively large turnover over the course of the pandemic. While there has been a national increase in municipal governments’ hiring rate over the past year, Philadelphia’s has not kept pace with the number of resignations and retirements.

Philadelphia Revitalizes Home Repair Loan Program

The Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation has updated its Restore Repair Renew program, which provides low-interest loans to help homeowners repair roofs, sidewalks, plumbing, and more. The changes to the program respond to input from residents and contractors solicited by the city. For homeowners, the maximum loan amount has been doubled to $50,000 and the construction period for projects has been quadrupled to 12 months. For contractors, the amount program participants must pay up front has been increased from 30 to 50 percent.

Vice President Harris Visits Philadelphia and Atlantic City, Promotes Voting and Abortion Rights

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris recently paid the greater Philadelphia area a visit to promote major Democratic Party platform issues. On Saturday, Vice President Harris participated in a roundtable discussion with Pennsylvania lawmakers, during which she stressed the strategic importance of Pennsylvania in the upcoming midterm elections. On Monday, she gave a speech at the NAACP Convention in Atlantic City. During both engagements, the vice president highlighted the importance of voting and abortion protections, among other civil rights issues.

Experts, Community Leaders Weigh in on New Curfew Intended to Prevent Gun Violence

Philadelphia City Council recently adjusted the citywide curfew for teens so that 16- and 17-year-olds must be indoors by 10 p.m. instead of midnight. The policy is intended to curb the rising rate of youth-involved gun violence in the city. However, not all are in agreement about the effectiveness of this measure.