On November 10th, PACDC was honored with a “Heroes in Housing” award from the Homeownership Counseling Association (HCA) of the Delaware Valley. HCA presented the award at their annual breakfast in recognition of PACDC’s leadership in the creation and implementation of the Philadelphia Housing Trust Fund. While we’re on the subject of awards, Toplin & Associates, a strategic marketing and public relations firm based out of Fort Washington, PA, selected PACDC as a pro-bono recipient of its services in conjunction with their 25th anniversary.

In mid-December PACDC members elected two new Directors to our Board: Rose Gray is Vice President of Housing and Community Development for Asociacion de Puertorriquenos en Marcha (APM), and Elizabeth Hersh is Executive Director of the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania. Please join me in welcoming them both—we are delighted to add two such insightful and strategic minds to the leadership of our organization.

Based on the idea that “a rising tide lifts all boats,” TPF will direct $5 million towards building the capacity of regional nonprofits to ensure the sector has the resources it needs to serve its constituents and is effectively and efficiently managed. For the first time, nonprofits in the region will have a dedicated funding source for activities such as strategic planning, organizational restructuring, financial planning, and evaluation. Organizations that are “high performing” will be eligible for totally unrestricted general operating support.

Extensive research uncovered three critical challenges in the field that have been largely unaddressed—business and management know-how, highly restrictive funding, and the looming leadership crisis with an anticipated 75% of the sector’s employees retiring by the end of the next decade.

If nonprofit organizations are to continue to attract new generations of leaders, they must become more effective, attractive places to work, offering better compensation, more efficient operations, work-life balance, sufficient resources and up to date technology. Building the “nonprofit farm team” for our future is of utmost importance and directly related to our goal of strengthening the business operations of the sector.

The Foundation has also become more “customer friendly.” Nonprofits will apply for funding on their own timetable, submitting a simple Letter of Intent, and then entering into a “partnership” with a program officer to develop a customized workplan for capacity building. For more information, visit their website at www.philafound.org and click on “How to Get a Grant”.

With attractive names like “instant money advance” and “money now”, consumers are lured into loans based on rough guesses, and are liable for repayment without the benefit of knowing the real amount of their IRS refund (these loans use pay stubs, not W- 2’s, to estimate tax refunds). Furthermore, consumers pay excessive fees and interest, stripping wealth from low-income families and neighborhoods.

At the recent kickoff of its fifth annual tax-support effort, the Campaign announced the opening of 17 free tax-filing sites in neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia. The locations of these free tax preparation sites and information on eligibility for the federal EITC are available by calling the Campaign's 24-hour information line at 215-686-2599. Additional information is available on the website www.phillyfreet axes.org.

Philadelphia families and individuals earning less than $40,000 per year (2006) are eligible for services. Taxes are prepared and e-filed by IRS-certified volunteers, who are trained to help customers get all of their tax credits and refunds. EITC refunds can total $4,536 per year, based on family size and income (income limits are $38,348 for families with children or $14,120 for individuals).