Increasing prices across a wide swath of consumer goods are causing major issues for people in low-income situations throughout Pennsylvania.

“It’s the inability to have a long-range vision of what they want to see happen with their lives because if you’re struggling to feed your children or keep a roof over your head – what’s happening three months down the road is not something you’re able to focus on.”

Pennsylvania First Lady Frances Wolf moderated a virtual panel discussion with early childhood educators on Wednesday to discuss Gov. Tom Wolf’s early childhood education spending plan.

“We know that children who participate in high quality Pre-K programs perform better in school, and they are more likely to graduate and to earn more throughout their lives afterwards,” Frances Wolf said during Wednesday’s virtual event.

Enrollment is open for Early Head Start and Head Start for the 2022-2023 school year! Home-based and center-based programs throughout York County serve pregnant people and children from birth through 5 years old, and their families.

Access to affordable housing is crucial part of moving toward self-sufficiency. While the Emergency Rental Assistance Program provides short-term crisis support, our Housing and Financial counselors are here to help families identify a path forward that empowers them to meet their long-term goals.

Get connected today: Call us at 717-846-4600 and press 0 to be connected with a Resource Navigator.

The Pennsylvania Homeowner Assistance Fund, or PAHAF, a housing-related program funded by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, is now open to assist Pennsylvania homeowners facing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program will provide financial assistance to homeowners for qualified mortgage and housing-related expenses to avoid delinquency, default, foreclosure, or displacement.

Eligible homeowners can complete their application entirely online at pahaf.org. Applications will be reviewed, approved, and processed by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.

York County homeowners who may need in-person assistance to complete their applications can call the housing counseling team at Community Progress Council to set up an appointment. Call Community Progress Council at (717) 846-4600 and select 0 to be connected with a Resource Navigator. An appointment with CPC is not required to complete your application.

Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, a highly respected housing advocacy, lobbying, and educational organization serving the state, recognized York County as “one of the most successful ERAP grantees nationwide” in a recent case study. The case study highlights York County’s Emergency Rental Assistance program, as administered by Community Progress Council, and how York County ERAP is using self-attestation to speed up assistance and reduce barriers.

Through strong partnerships with approximately 20 organizations throughout York County, CPC has distributed more than $12.9 million for rental and utility assistance to 5,276 York County households as of September 30, 2021, spending nearly all of its $13.4 million Federal ERAP allocation within 6 months.

The Housing Alliance recognizes CPC for “significantly” lowering barriers for applicants, and “preventing long waits and potential eviction filings” … “to keep renters safely housed and make landlords whole as the pandemic continues.”

Dan Green fell in love during his homecoming’s last dance, “Stairway to Heaven.”

This was Northeastern High School in 2002, and Dan, a sophomore, was sporting his finest threads, a silky AC/DC shirt. In his arms was a junior, Krista Grothe.

He thought, “I’m gonna marry this girl someday.”

He did, but before that day came, they would have a baby and a boatload of challenges. Their burdens would put them in the category of poverty, dictating how they lived and where they lived.

But they survived. They found hope in the kindness of strangers, and three children later, they live and breathe the theory that love endures.

The state Department of Health announced Monday, Sept. 9, that instead of distributing checks from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), participants will now receive an EBT card that can be swiped just like a debit or credit card.

The change will be positive for a number of reasons, said Carly Hess, clinic manager and WIC outreach coordinator for the York County Community Progress Council.

“Unfortunately, sometimes there’s a stigma that goes along with checks,” she said.

WIC checks used to be distributed to participants once every three months, Hess said, and each check was printed with a list of the approved items that could be purchased with that check, such as milk, peanut butter, fruits, vegetables or cereal.

Community Progress Council, York County’s community action agency, received the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency’s “Best Agency Award” during a Nov. 13 event in Harrisburg.

The Community Progress Council (CPC) was one of four out of 72 agencies across the state to be honored, according to a news release.

The CPC was recognized for its work with York County residents regarding home-ownership, home foreclosure, rental assistance and personal finance.

Its housing program provides one-on-one counseling, as well as educational workshops for residents.

Access to health care, jobs, housing, transportation and child care was just beyond reach. If they were attainable, they were costly necessities that made the difference as to whether there would be dinner on the table or lights on at night.

They scrambled to find jobs and to feed their families, while handling as best they could the mishaps and misfortunes that easily derail plans, leading to hunger or homelessness or both.

“There was a lot of uncertainty,” said Mike Buckingham.