Author: njwelsch

I chose this organization because I actually have a personal connection with it. When I was involved in a professional choir in Philly, we were regularly asked to sing at event that they hosted around the city. It was a good way for them to draw people in and get some interest. I love what Project HOME does for the city of Philadelphia because I grew up with this city, and watching an organization like this work so hard to help its people means a lot to someone like me.

Project HOME has rehabilitation services in place that work to help the mental state of homeless people on the streets. Homelessness isn’t a mental disease, but many people that are homeless have their own problems that they can’t help themselves with. It can help patients from things as simple as life skills all the way to strong specific anxiety or mental health issues. They emphasize personal growth and individual choice so that the patients can work to become their own independent people in society.

As many know, Philadelphia is known for having below average and debatably straight up bad schools. The school system is flawed with lack of funding and support, so groups like Project HOME work to help these struggling kids find the light at the end of the tunnel. They have one program that’s specifically for grades K-8 that help to academically challenge youths to be able to work to the best of their ability and learn all that they can. They provide technology like tablets and computers that use programs that can help improve math and writing skills. It also helps them learn in a new tech-savvy society.

They also have a College Access Program  that helps families prepare for college learning, gain access to colleges, and have successful college retention. It is supposed to help from the end of high school to the end of college and is a three pronged system thats helps teach Academics, Entrepreneurship and Career Exploration. It also provides tutoring and testing help on top of that.

Project HOME has an outreach program to help find unfortunate souls on the streets and help them by enrolling them in their programs.  They use the Outreach Coordination Center (OCC) which is partnered with the city of Philadelphia to do all of this work. In the last year they made 6890 contacts with people in need and placed 2869 people in programs. They work 24/7 with special groups for different emergencies as well.

Their programs offer permanent and subsidized housing for the homeless and those seeking shelter from the streets. Thanks to a partnership with Middleton, four residencies have already opened up giving the homeless an option of residency and a chance to work back into the community. Project HOME has developed a total of 802 units for affordable housing in Philadelphia with 30 units under construction, 42 in predevelopment, and 170 being pitched. They would like reach 1,000 units in the coming future.

Project HOME started in 1989 in Philadelphia and quickly became a leader in providing services for the homeless.  They have created nationally recognized programs that have proven that the problem that is homelessness can be solved.  Leaders in responding to causes of homelessness in Philadelphia as well as engaging in politics to bring about helpful policies for the less fortunate.