Over the past several weeks, the organizations signed below have been on the front lines, supporting community members with the information, resources, and rapid response needed in the face of this current crisis. 

This crisis is far from over. There is much still unknown about containing the coronavirus, meaning social distancing measures and stay at home orders could be necessary for weeks or months to come. Beyond these immediate measures, we are left to ask: what will recovery look like? Philadelphia is the poorest big city in the U.S. Will “recovery” continue that fact with even more of us living in poverty, underemployed, and not knowing how we will get by? We demand that this city’s recovery invests in righting the wrongs of inequality and discrimination that have made this current crisis all the worse.

City Council and the Mayor’s administration need to craft a new budget for the next steps of the public health response and long term recovery. The current federal response and stimulus prioritizes the bailout of corporations over everyday working people. We are calling on our city’s leaders not to make the same mistake. We have come together to propose the “Philly People’s Bailout.”

We have seen through this crisis that our communities are not getting what we need because of a lack of political will, not because our demands are impossible. We are counting on bold action from our elected officials to meet our needs head on – both in this time of crisis and beyond.This requires that City Council immediately return to regular meetings that are accessible to the public and vote to support the critical legislation outlined below. Meetings should be accessible to the public and interested members of the public should also be able to participate virtually during the COVID-19 crisis and address the body.

We believe that every Philadelphian deserves a response that is accessible for all – made available to every resident regardless of immigration status, criminal legal status, or accessibility needs.

We believe the City of Philadelphia should prepare to address the long-term economic devastation from COVID-19 by developing a stimulus plan that tackles the economic, social, and environmental problems that preceded the pandemic in our city.

Now is the time to work with leaders from labor unions and community organizations to prepare a plan for investment in unionized green jobs, robust public healthcare centers, free public transit, community-governed renewable energy, green social housing, and localized healthy food systems. Now is the time for corporations in our city to pay their fair share. It’s the time for our local elected officials to fight tooth and nail for the state and federal funding that will support this future. Now is the time to bail out people instead of profits. 

– An executive mayoral order that creates a higher level of safety for workers. In addition, workers also need meaningful enforcement of basic workplace standards during this crisis. Even during the best of times, the Office of Labor lacks the resources to monitor and correct violations at every workplace, but their capacity has been strained severely during this pandemic. We urge Mayor Kenney and the City Council to authorize impacted workers and trusted community organizations to bring suits on behalf of the Office of Labor.

– An emergency mayoral fund to give direct assistance to workers who will not qualify for state and federal relief.

– Mental health supports for front-line healthcare workers and first responders.

– Emergency paid sick leave legislation for all workers of at least 14 days (112 hours), with an expanded definition of what qualifies as “sick”, and that is available to all Philadelphia workers, regardless of number of employees at the workplace, immigration status, full or part time status, or union membership. This legislation should also include investment in education about existing protections.

– Uphold laws supporting labor peace, so that any City money put into private enterprise to address this crisis requires those companies to respect the right of those workers to form a union.

– Reopen the Commerce Department/PIDC Loans and Grants program, prioritize applicants who are ineligible for other public or private support, and streamline the application process, to make it more accessible to business owners.

– Accessible whistleblower program to empower employees, regardless of documentation status, to report employers who are not safeguarding their employees or the public good, and additional, proactive training and resources for employers regarding how to safeguard their employees during the crisis, and aggressively investigate and reprimand (including fines as necessary) irresponsible employers who are putting their employees and the public at risk.

– To use & employ pre-existing neighborhood leadership by investing in a grant program for community organizations & leaders to educate communities about COVID-19, to support neighbors to access accurate information about government response to COVID-19, to safely distribute resources & supplies, and to run virtual programming & activities for the sake of mental health and public safety. The grant program should not require legal nonprofit status to receive funds, as many funding sources during COVID-19 disqualify neighborhood leadership without legal status.

-To support residents to reduce trips to grocery stores and reduce bottled water usage as a limited resource by providing water filters to Philadelphia households.

– SEPTA to continue to waive fare payment throughout the duration of the epidemic to account for widespread loss of income and the necessity of travel to purchase essential supplies, care for loved ones, and to protect the health of operators. 

– Immediate increase of the capacity of all food distribution sites to fully meet the food access needs of all residents with regard to overall number of food distributed and adequate amounts of food per box, and monitor sites regularly to respond accordingly to need. 

– Fully transparent communication with the general public about the state of and future plans for food distribution sites. 

– For those that have people in the household that test positive or have symptoms, create a system where the household can receive food without needing to leave the house in order to limit exposure of others in the community. 

– Communication about the City’s plans for addressing summer cooling needs– with immediate opportunity for public input in the event that social distancing continues into warmer months and cooling centers like libraries, pools, and other facilities remain closed. Lack of advanced planning on this issue has the potential to drastically increase deaths from heat, put further burden on hospitals and healthcare workers, and interfere with management of COVID-19.

– An emergency relief fund to provide immediate rental and mortgage assistance to people who risk losing their homes because of sickness, inability to work, or any other factors related to COVID-19. This fund should launch immediately, and should be accessible to all, without any means-testing, and without barriers to entry, such as lengthy paperwork or application fees. To address the housing needs beyond the immediate crisis, the fund should invest additional money to the shallow rent subsidy.

– A citywide rent cancellation and debt forgiveness for tenants who cannot pay rent during the crisis.

– A continued bar on all eviction proceedings. The City must also halt declarations of foreclosure and sales of foreclosed properties for the foreseeable future. The moratorium should last through the duration of the declared state of emergency and the entire recovery period. 

– Landlord education campaign about benefits and mortgage freezes available to them and how to pass that benefit on to tenants. 

– Tenant education campaign about their options and rights, regardless of immigration status, and city-endorsed practices on how to communicate with landlords about rent. 

– A requirement that landlords create and distribute a clear COVID-19 response plan for multi-unit dwellings that address health, safety and rights of tenants. 

– The City to determine and implement severe penalties for banks, corporations, and individuals in violation of the eviction moratorium, including but not limited to fines and/or loss of license to do business.

– An end to encampment sweeps, closures, and vehicle tows. Sweeps and other practices that criminalize homelessness pose a serious health risk, as they disrupt consistent access to services and ability for outreach and health workers to provide continuous care. The city must remember that encampment sweeps, closures, and vehicle tows are not legal or viable solutions.

– Identify suitable PHA and city-owned buildings to use as permanent housing for people who need it, including people experiencing homelessness and people living in unsafe/unsanitary conditions now.

– PHA to suspend evictions, recertifications, and notices of termination not just for 30 days but for the duration of the crisis. PHA should implement a rent holiday or targeted programs that will have maximum individual impact.

– Massive investment in PHA to ensure personnel and processes to address immediate needs that may jeopardize residents’ health and safety and invest in much needed ongoing capital repairs. 

– Emergency sanitation sites near homeless encampments and major public transit hubs to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, for people who will not or cannot move indoors. Sanitation sites should be wheelchair accessible, include 24-hour ADA compliant restrooms and showers, laundry, and free hygiene supplies, as well as information on COVID-19 testing, case worker availability, and disease prevention in multiple languages, including sign language/s. 

– Young people, their families and school staff kept up to date across multiple platforms and languages on timelines, decisions the Board of Education is making, and resources available to families.

– A drop off option for educational chromebook distribution, and a citywide protocol for safe in-person distribution that lays out care guidelines to parents for the devices and expectations for device usage and return.

– Access to the internet for all students.

– To ensure the continued learning of all students, including those with disabilities, English Language learners, those living in poverty, students of color, students in foster care, and students experiencing homelessness.

– All needed lead and asbestos remediation to happen during the closure so students can return to safe building conditions at the end of this crisis.

– Control returned to the Board of Education to ensure public input and oversight over the governance of our public schools. 

– Council to provide funding to support all residents who currently do not have a computer to purchase one.

– The City to advocate for Comcast and Verizon to provide free internet to low-income households, people with disabilities, seniors, furloughed workers, and households with public-school students who have been sent home due to school closures. The City needs to advocate for Comcast to waive past balances and other barriers to the Internet Essentials program.

– Require Comcast to open up xfinity wifi hotspots in all residential neighborhoods, in addition to the public hotspots concentrated in Center City.

– The City to identify and support free virtual tech support so all Philadelphians can learn how to access online programs and use devices during this time.

– The City to identify and provide funding for cell phones so that those who are unhoused or without access can receive essential city text message updates.

– Philadelphia Corporation for the Aging (PCA) to partner with healthcare and insurance providers to employ individuals to provide needed services such as shopping and cleaning for the elderly.

– More robust notifications, reporting and information sharing with elders through 311, mail, and other offline programs.

– Council to appropriate money to pay for supportive housing, treatment options, and cash stipends for those returning from jails.

– Council to call on Philadelphia court leadership to take immediate action to release as many people as possible from the City’s jails and juvenile detention centers.

– Council to continue to limit any city support to ICE, and to pressure ICE to halt all immigration detentions, proceedings, enforcement of detainers, and the transfer of people between facilities.

– Council to establish a comprehensive plan to decrease arrests and entrance into facilities statewide by issuing a moratorium on new arrests, bookings, and carceral sentences.

– Commissioner Blanche Carney and the Department of Prisons to mandate screening for all staff, contractors, and official visitors entering Philly jails for COVID symptoms including temperature checks, after they have released as many people as possible from jail. 

– Commissioner Blanche Carney and the Department of Prisons to provide access to soap and hot water and other sanitation products for all incarcerated people, those held in detention and staff, along with immediate measures to secure beds, medical care, and ventilators for incarcerated people. 

– City Council and the Mayor to call on Governor Wolf, as well as Richard Rocha, Assistant Director, Office of Partnership and Engagement, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Simona Flores-Lund, Philadelphia Field Office Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to require that ICE immediately review cases and release our family members who are currently detained in county jails and detention centers so they can rejoin their families. 

– Swift, strong, and consistent condemnation of racism, bigotry, and violence against our communities of any kind from our elected leadership

– Create an online city-monitored website for victims of all types of hate crimes. That way victims can confidentially input their encounters on the new reporting site, so the city can monitor the situation and provide support to those impacted.

– Financial support for City and service organizations that offer resources for victims of harassment, hate crimes, and violence. 

– Immediate moratorium on all sheriff sales of land & community gardens.

– Clear pathways to collective ownership of city gardens:
– Fix the broken EOI system 
– Give ownership of land to organizations who are currently growing food on land – such as One Art Community Center, Urban Tree Connection, and Urban Creators – who have been feeding their communities for over a decade and must become land secure in order to continue doing so
– Support community-led Community Land Trust trainings and initiatives.

– Immediate support of farming infrastructure for the growing season including but not limited to funding for seeds, personnel, refrigeration, irrigation, and the improvement in accessibility of our spaces to be ADA compliant. 
– Prioritize hygienic equipment & infrastructure such as washing stations, water access, tool sanitation, and PPE for safe harvesting, packaging, and distribution.

– Air Management Services (AMS) to enforce air pollution regulations to the agency’s fullest power, obtaining additional funding from the City government if needed during this time. AMS should hold a virtual public meeting to communicate about its work during COVID-19, given the connection between pollution and vulnerability to the virus.

– Funding to support harm reduction supply delivery directly to PWUDs. If individuals feel that they are getting sick, it is not advisable to go to harm reduction centers or syringe service programs because they may expose other clients and staff to COVID-19. Organizations doing harm reduction work need funding to purchase and deliver harm reduction supplies. 

– Funding to purchase cell phones for PWUDs who are using alone in order to call a friend or a hotline so that someone can call 911 if the PWUD becomes unresponsive. Cell phones are also crucial for maintaining contact with healthcare professionals and to call organizations to request deliveries of life-saving harm reduction supplies such as Naloxone. 

– Funding to assist COVID+ PWUDs experiencing homelessness to have access to withdrawal management, which is also in the public’s best interest as the patient needs rest in order to recover from COVID entirely. Mandate that any PWUD should be allowed to get inducted on the opiate replacement therapy of their choice via a telemedicine appointment and to receive prescriptions that can be filled at any pharmacy for 14-30 day supplies.

– Direct cash assistance for PWUDs and sex workers who are not eligible for unemployment and other financial relief programs due to their work being a part of the gray economy. 

-Preserve, protect and invest in the Philadelphia Cultural Fund (PCF). A uniquely equitable funding source for arts organizations in Philadelphia, the PCF is immune to political whims and is peer reviewed, with funding is specifically weighted to support small organizations; nearly 50% of orgs that receive resources from the fund have an annual operating budget of >$150,000. Small arts organizations need to be protected from the precarity of political whims.

– Access to arts education for all Philadelphia Youth, including those with disabilities, English Language learners, those living in poverty, black students and students of color, students in foster care, and students experiencing homelessness.

– A city-wide campaign to ensure all Philadelphians are aware of the new date to register and vote in our primary election as well as mail-in/absentee ballot options rather than going to their polling place on election day. Resources must be available to all, and that information is translated in multiple languages by the city, including sign language/s.

– City commissioners to provide enough paper ballots and stamped return envelopes, for both the primary and general elections, including Braille and large print. 

– Enough workers at the City Commissioner’s Office to process all paper ballots and do so by midnight on Election Night so that results are promptly reported and actually counted.

– An estimated cost for these ballots and workers from the city to ensure that funding is adequate to meet these needs.