Telephone Townhall MONDAY!
Monday at 6:10pm, I’m going to host a telephone townhall to speak directly with you about COVID-19, the state’s response, what it means to move into the Yellow category of mitigation, and anything else you want to ask.
Join the conversation by signing up here!
PHEAA Deadline EXTENDED!
Students and families…Don't miss out on grant money for college! The PA State Grant deadline has been extended to next Friday, May 15th. Students planning on attending in the 2020-21 Academic Year anytime during the fall, winter or spring terms are eligible to apply. Find more information here: https://www.pheaa.org/about/covid-19.shtml
Emergency Assistance Program
Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Teresa Miller announced an Emergency Assistance Program (EAP) to help low-income families who lost wages experiencing financial challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Families who qualify will be eligible for a one-time payment to assist them in meeting basic needs and help them secure more stable financial footing in the future.
The program will use existing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds to provide support to low-income families who qualify. The program will be open to families with a child under the age of 18 or a woman who is currently pregnant. In order to qualify, families must have at least one person in the household who was employed as of March 11, 2020 and experienced an hour or wage reduction of at least 50 percent for two weeks or more or lost employment entirely due to the public health crisis.
Families must meet income limits of 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines and have no more than $1,000 in a savings or checking account.
| Household Size |
Monthly Income Limit |
Annual Income Limit |
| 1 |
$1,595 |
$19,140 |
| 2 |
$2,155 |
$25,860 |
| 3 |
$2,715 |
$32,580 |
| 4 |
$3,275 |
$39,300 |
| 5 |
$3,835 |
$46,020 |
| 6 |
$4,395 |
$52,740 |
| 7 |
$4,955 |
$59,460 |
| 8 |
$5,515 |
$66,180 |
| 9 |
$6,075 |
$72,900 |
| 10 |
$6,635 |
$79,620 |
| Each Additional Person |
$560 |
$6,720 |
Qualifying families will be issued a one-time grant equal to two months of TANF benefits. The average monthly TANF grant for a family of three is $403, so a qualifying family of three would receive a one-time grant of $806 through the program. Information on monthly grants by household size and county is available online here. Funds will be issued through an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card.
AIDS Free Pittsburgh Community Survey
AIDS Free Pittsburgh is currently seeking community input about how we can work together to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The information collected in this anonymous online survey will be used to inform the project’s strategic direction over the next five years (2021-2025). All Allegheny County residents are encouraged to participate. The survey can be taken at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AFP2020survey.
In order to make this survey accessible to more community members, additional versions of the survey are available in the following languages:
AIDS Free Pittsburgh is also looking for partner organizations to share the survey with populations that they serve. If you represent a local organization that is interested in helping with this effort, or would like to recommend an organization, please contact Julia Och at [email protected] or 412-586-6706. AIDS Free Pittsburgh is financially supported by the Allegheny Singer Research Institute (AHN) and UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside and is managed by the Jewish Healthcare Foundation.
Stay Connected
If you haven’t visited my Facebook page, join the conversation by ‘liking’ the page and follow me on Twitter and Instagram. Plenty of information is available on these pages about community events and issues affecting our friends and neighbors. If you have questions or concerns, send me a direct message or post your thoughts.
Offices to Serve You |
Harrisburg Office