MAYOR NUTTER ANNOUNCES CREATIVE INDUSTRY WORKFORCE GRANTS

Philadelphia, March 31, 2010— Today Mayor Michael A. Nutter awarded $500,000 in Creative Industry Workforce Grants to eight arts-related organizations. The awards ranged from $20,000 to $100,000 each. This funding will be used for specific capital projects that will yield both temporary jobs (including construction, installation, architectural and engineering jobs) and permanent jobs in the creative sector. Funding for the Creative Industry Workforce Grant program comes from the Community Development Block Grant program of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). Created through a partnership of the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy and the Department of Commerce, the goal of the unique program is to nurture and develop the creative sector while fostering neighborhood development, business attraction and job creation.

“These grants are all about providing more jobs for Philadelphians. This funding will not only offer new construction opportunities, but will deliver lasting jobs in the creative economy,” said Mayor Nutter. “These awards will support distinctive, cultural programming in diverse neighborhoods in the years to come.”

The Creative Industry Workforce Grant program was open to the nonprofit arts and culture community as well as for-profit arts, entertainment and creative businesses. These awards reinforce the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy’s larger strategy to nurture and develop this sector by providing specific programs and resources to the creative industries. This grant program also intersects with the Commerce Department’s business services, neighborhood development, business attraction and job creation efforts.

“This is a very exciting – and ground-breaking – program for the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, and for the City of Philadelphia. By investing Community Development Block Grant funds in capital projects that help foster our creative enterprises and generate jobs in our low and moderate income communities, we help support both this important industry and also nurture healthy neighborhoods,” said Chief Cultural Officer Gary Steuer.

In order to qualify for the grants, applicants needed to demonstrate that their project could start within three months from the award date. The projects also must have met federal CDBG eligibility including but not limited to serving low to moderate income customers creating low to moderate income jobs, or being located in a low to moderate income neighborhood. Eligible applicants included nonprofit arts and cultural organizations, community development corporations, for-profit creative businesses, microenterprises and others. The award winners were selected by a five-person panel comprised of Chief Cultural Officer Gary Steuer, Commerce Department’s Chief Operating Officer Kevin Dow, Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds-Brown, President of the Reinvestment Fund Jeremy Nowak, and CEO of The Burd Group Nancy Burd.

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CREATIVE INDUSTRY WORKFORCE GRANT RECIPIENTS

Connection Training Services – $60,000
2243 W. Allegheny Street (North Philadelphia)
Creation of the North Philadelphia Creative Arts Center and Gallery at the Allegheny Business Center, an arts incubator for ex-offenders

Crane Old School, LP – $100,000
1425 N. 2nd Street (Kensington)
$1.7 million conversion of an historic school into multi-tenant artist and commercial arts space, including the new Pig Iron Theater School

Octo Enterprises Incorporated – $100,000
2214-14 Alter Street (Point Breeze)
Industrial building renovation and expansion for new artist workspace

Olney Cultural Collaborative – $20,000
An initiative of the North 5th Revitalization Project, a program of the Korean
Community Development Services Center (Olney)
Office renovation for neighborhood cultural programming initiative

Revolution Recovery – $40,000
7333 Milnor Street (Northeast)
Artist workspace and office space at recycling facility for a new artist in residency program.

Underground Arts at the Wolf Building – $50,000
340 N. 12th Street Associates, LP (Callowhill)
Creation of a Multi-disciplinary Arts Venue

Vox Populi – $30,000
319 N. 11th Street (Callowhill)
Creation of multi-disciplinary performance venue and additional artist studios

2215 East Tioga Street Gallery & Studios - $100,000
2215 East Tioga Street (Kensington)
Rehabilitation to create an art gallery and sculpture garden

MAYOR MICHAEL NUTTER AND CITY YEAR VOLUNTEERS TO GREET PHILADELPHIANS AT TRANSIT STOPS ON CENSUS DAY, APRIL 1

WHO: Mayor Michael A. Nutter
City Year volunteers

WHAT: Mayor Michael Nutter and scores of City Year Volunteers will mark “Census Day,” April 1, by greeting Philadelphians at City transit stops. City Year members will be armed with “I’m counted” stickers that they will place on residents who say they have returned their census forms. For those who have not yet filled out the form, they will be handed a card with information about why it is important to be counted, as well as a number to call for help: 311.

WHEN: Thursday, April 1 6:30 am and 7:15 am

WHERE: 6:30 am at 52nd and Market (Market Frankford) stop.
7:15 am to 8 am at 46th and Market (Market Frankford) stop.
(City Year volunteers will be at additional transit locations and commercial corridors throughout the day. Please call for Tricia Enright at 215-686-2161 for more information.)

WHY: The 2010 Census count is in full swing. By April 1, every residence in the City of Philadelphia should have received a census
questionnaire. Philadelphia is mounting a city-wide campaign called Philly Counts to encourage all Philadelphia residents to participate and be counted.

Every ten years, the United States undergoes a count of every resident. That count is used to determine representation in Congress and to distribute more than $400 billion in federal funding. For every person not counted, Philadelphia stands to lose more than $2800 in federal funding, each year.

More information can be found at: http://www.phillycounts.org/

CITY TO ANNOUNCE SUBMISSION OF WORKFORCE GRANT APPLICATION

WHO: Mayor Michael A. Nutter
Members of City Council
Members of the State House and Senate Delegations

WHAT: Mayor Nutter, City Council and members of the State House and Senate Delegations will announce that the City has submitted its application to the state’s “Way to Work” program. If successful, the City could receive funding to help local businesses grow and put Philadelphians back to work.

WHERE: City Hall, Mayor’s Reception Room Room 202

WHEN: Wednesday, March 31, 2010 2:30 pm

MAYOR NUTTER TO ANNOUNCE CREATIVE INDUSTRY WORKFORCE GRANT AWARDEES

WHO: Mayor Michael A. Nutter
Gary Steuer, Chief Cultural Officer

WHAT: Mayor Nutter to announce awards and present checks to eight organizations who will receive a total of $500,000 as part of the Creative Industry Workforce Grants. These grants are designed to stimulate jobs in the creative sector through investments in creative facilities.

WHERE: City Hall, Mayor’s Reception Room Room 202

WHEN: Wednesday, March 31, 2010 12:00 pm

CITY AND PHILANTHROPIC PARTNERS WORK TO REDUCE TRUANCY AND IMPROVE EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES

Philadelphia, March 30, 2010 – Today Mayor Michael A. Nutter and Department of Human Services Commissioner Anne Marie Ambrose announced two new ground breaking efforts to reduce truancy and improve educational outcomes for Philadelphia youth. The new initiatives are the result of strategic partnerships with the Stoneleigh Center and the William Penn Foundation.

In Philadelphia, about 74,000 students are considered chronically truant. Each year, DHS, the Philadelphia School District and the Family Court spend roughly $15 million on truancy prevention, but there is a lack of coordination between the three agencies.

In an effort to increase coordination among these agencies and dramatically reduce skyrocketing truancy rates, the Stoneleigh Center has generously funded a highly skilled, independent professional to help develop a new citywide truancy reduction plan through a rigorous process of cross-system planning and collaboration.

The City will also address the underlying issues that result in poor educational outcomes for children involved with DHS or at risk of becoming involved with DHS through the creation of a new Education Support Center.

According to a report by Project U-Turn, entitled Unfulfilled Promise, a third of the young people that drop out of school in Philadelphia are or have been in foster or delinquent placement. The new Education Support Center aims to lower the drop-out rate and improve the educational tracking, support, stability, and achievement of children in placement. It represents a strategic collaboration between the Mayor’s Office of Education, Department of Human Services, Family Court and the School District of Philadelphia (SDP).

The Education Support Center is being funded through a recent grant of $600,000 over two years from the William Penn Foundation. The concept and planning for the Center was conducted by Liza Rodriguez, a Stoneleigh Center-funded public policy fellow.

“I want to express my sincere thanks to the William Penn Foundation and the Stoneleigh Center for recognizing the importance of improving educational opportunities for youth and providing the financial support for this critical initiative,” said Nutter. “Their engagement in this project represents an ideal partnership of government and philanthropy that enabled philanthropic resources to be directed with laser accuracy toward meaningful innovation”

“As a city, we have a moral obligation to ensure that EVERY child has the opportunity to reach their potential,” Nutter added. “Statistically children and youth in foster care have had lower graduation rates, reading abilities, and overall academic performance than their peers who are not in foster care,” said Nutter. But research tells us that the academic achievement of children in placement improves significantly when they receive proper support. The Educational Support Center will ensure that these youth get the supports they need to succeed.”

“Ensuring that Philadelphia’s children are adequately equipped for higher education and work is a key priority for the William Penn Foundation”, said Feather Houstoun, President of the William Penn Foundation. “We are pleased to support the City of Philadelphia in this effort to provide youth in placement with a strong foundation for academic achievement.”

According to Ambrose, the Center is a critical step in helping to improve the long-term outcomes of children in placement. “Positive school experiences can not only enhance the well-being of children and youth in placement, it can also help them make more successful transitions to adulthood, and increase their chances for personal fulfillment and economic self-sufficiency.”

The goals of the new Center are to:

Track educational indicators for children in DHS care in order to identify early warning signals of educational challenges or failure and coordinate communication and planning amongst service providers and school staff to ensure that appropriate interventions are in place
Provide individual and group consultation to DHS and provider agency case workers, school district staff, and resource families
Track and report on the integration of educational well-being considerations into child welfare practice
Inform and support the integration of educational stability considerations into DHS-funded community-based programs
Develop inter-agency communication and practice protocols between DHS and the School District to address the timely sharing of data, safe and confidential feedback mechanisms for school-triggered investigations of child abuse or neglect, and a collaborative approach to serving the educational and social needs of children and youth involved with DHS

The Center will be staffed by four education liaisons who will focus on removing educational barriers for children and youth in DHS care, utilizing a variety of strategies, such as: data tracking and analysis; communication protocols, strategies, and tools between schools and DHS; training and consultation for DHS, provider, and SDP staff; coordination, convening, and planning educational support services; ensuring service linkages; and measuring and tracking intervention outcomes and child welfare practice changes.

According to Ambrose, the Education Support Center services will initially be provided as part of a pilot in DHS ongoing Social Service Region 1, which includes the Northeast as well as parts of Mount Airy and Center City. “Because DHS Ongoing Service Regions are now organized geographically and aligned with police districts, the Education Support Center will have the ability to strengthen outreach, engagement, and collaboration with schools and regional superintendents in the areas they serve,” she said.

The pilot is expected to serve approximately 400-500 children and youth in its first 18–24 months. A plan to roll out Education Support Center functions to the rest of the agency will be developed by the 12th month of the pilot.

“Both the Education Support Center and the new truancy plan represent stunning cases of policy development at the point where local government services meet the vulnerable population in need,” said Nutter. “For the City of Philadelphia, the partnership with these foundations is a chance for lasting reform that will help our young people meet the challenges and demands of the new economy.”

OVERSIGHT BOARD COMMENDS DHS ON REFORMS

Philadelphia, March 30, 2010 The Department of Human Services has made considerable progress in its reform efforts, according to a recent report by the Community Oversight Board (COB), which is charged with monitoring the child welfare agency.

The COB was re-established by Mayor Michael Nutter in January, 2008. The Board monitors progress on the implementation of the recommended reforms of the Child Welfare Review Panel (CWRP) and provides regular progress reports to the Mayor.

In accepting the report, the Mayor thanked the COB for its hard work and dedication. “The COB has been vigilant in its efforts to improve the Department’s ability to ensure the safety, permanency and well being of Philadelphia’s vulnerable children and youth,” he said. “Therefore, I am pleased to announce the reappointment of these members for another term. I also want to express my sincere gratitude to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, William Penn Foundation, Casey Family Programs, and the Pew Foundation for their generous support of this very important effort.”

The most recent COB report indicates that 21 of the CWRP’s recommendations—more than half—have been completed and/or are ongoing. In addition, 12 of the remaining 16 recommendations are listed as in progress, meaning that DHS is moving toward full implementation of the recommendations with a plan that is approved by the COB.

In particular, the COB stated that it “is particularly encouraged by the progress DHS has made in the area of improving overall child safety.” The report notes that “in the last six months, the Department has presented plans and begun implementation of an enhanced monthly child visitation strategy and has developed a plan for defining and using key outcome measures to improve practice and accountability.”

“I am particularly gratified that the COB highlighted our efforts to improve child safety,” said DHS Commissioner, Anne Marie Ambrose. “Ensuring the safety of children is DHS’ number one priority and the staff and leadership at DHS has worked relentlessly to improve policy, procedure and outcomes in this area,” she said.

The Board also evaluated the Department on the implementation of key outcome measures, as a quantitative approach to assessing DHS progress. It noted that that DHS has “worked diligently to provide data that allow the COB to assess agency performance through key outcome measures.”

According to Ambrose, much of the agency’s achievement in this area is the result of the creation of a Division of Performance Management and Accountability, which measures and monitors outcomes for children served by the Department. The division takes a data-driven and evidence-based leading to a best-practice model of service delivery.

Overall, the Board commended DHS leadership for its commitment to continued improvement and said the agency was implementing reforms in a manner that should lead to long-term sustainability.

Ambrose noted that in addition to the reforms cited by the COB, DHS has also implemented several new policies and practices to improve its ability to protect vulnerable children including:

Improving its partnership with Family Court under the leadership of Administrative Judge Kevin M. Dougherty, which has led to better outcomes for children.
Implementing New York City’s ChildStat process, which enables the agency’s Quality Improvement Unit to conduct in-depth reviews of randomly selected cases on a monthly basis;
Establishing a team to review child fatalities and near fatalities;
Developing a Safety Model of Practice, a comprehensive approach to incorporating child safety assessments into all aspects of decision making throughout the Department’s involvement with a family;
Transitioning Services to Children in their Own Homes (SCOH) to a vast continuum of in home services, which allowed the department to offer a focused array of services while improving provider oversight by reducing the number of agencies supplying in-home services;
Improving the efficiency of Community Based Prevention Services;
Collaborating with the Philadelphia Police Department in their Public Service Area initiative;

MAYOR NUTTER ANNOUNCES DETAILS OF “LOVE YOUR PARK” CLEANUP

PHILADELPHIA, March 29, 2010 – Today, Mayor Michael Nutter announced details of the May 8th “LOVE Your Park” Day. This citywide greening and cleaning day will take place in parks and recreation centers across Philadelphia. The mayor called for volunteers from across the Philadelphia region to come together once again to plant flowers, remove graffiti, trash and debris from community park spaces across the City. This year the Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation will partner with Greater Philadelphia Cares, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society / Philadelphia Green and Target to support this citywide cleanup effort

“Keeping our parks clean and green is another way of showing pride in our communities and loving the city we live and work in,” said Mayor Nutter. “I’m calling on all Philadelphians to roll up their sleeves to join friends, family members, neighbors and coworkers to preserve Philadelphia’s park spaces for everyone who wishes to enjoy them. It’s a wonderful way to give back to our communities.” Commissioner Michael DiBerardinis said, “LOVE Your Park is a perfect example of partner agencies coming together to contribute what they do best to achieve great results.

Volunteers for the May 8th “Love Your Park” Day can sign up at www.gpcares.com to participate in the cleanup at a variety of parks across the City from 9:00 am- 12:00 pm. Last year nearly 1,200 volunteers worked a total of 3,600 hours at park sites across Philadelphia to remove over 11 tons of trash and plant thousands of flowers. The partner agencies will provide staff, tools, supplies, monetary and logistical support to this year’s “LOVE Your Park” cleanup effort.

REMINDER: MAYOR NUTTER JOINS PARKS AND RECREATION OFFICIALS TO ANNOUNCE DETAILS OF “LOVE YOUR PARK” SPRING CLEAN UP

WHO: Mayor Michael A. Nutter
Commissioner Parks and Recreation – Michael DiBerardinis
Senior Director Philadelphia Green / PHS – Joan Reilly
Interim Executive Director Greater Philadelphia Cares – Frankie Lancos

WHAT: Commissioner DiBerardinis will host the Mayor and representatives from Philadelphia Green / PHS, Greater Philadelphia Cares, corporate sponsors and community groups who will provide details for a city-wide cleaning and greening event to be held on Saturday, May 8th. Mayor Nutter will offer remarks in support of citizen volunteerism and civic stewardship.

WHERE: Inside the Fairmount Park Welcome Center at LOVE Park – 15th Street and JFK Boulevard

WHEN: Monday, March 29, 2010 2:30 pm

MAYOR NUTTER JOINS PARKS AND RECREATION OFFICIALS TO ANNOUNCE DETAILS OF “LOVE YOUR PARK” SPRING CLEAN UP

WHO: Mayor Michael A. Nutter
Commissioner Parks and Recreation – Michael DiBerardinis
Senior Director Philadelphia Green / PHS – Joan Reilly
Interim Executive Director Greater Philadelphia Cares – Frankie Lancos

WHAT: Commissioner DiBerardinis will host the Mayor and representatives from Philadelphia Green / PHS, Greater Philadelphia Cares, corporate sponsors and community groups who will provide details for a city-wide cleaning and greening event to be held on Saturday, May 8th. Mayor Nutter will offer remarks in support of citizen volunteerism and civic stewardship. Leaders will be on hand to plant flowers in LOVE Park at the press event finale.

WHERE: LOVE Park – 15th Street and JFK Boulevard

CITY OF PHILADELPHIA TO COMPETE TO BECOME A GOOGLE INTERNET TEST SITE

Philadelphia, March 25, 2010 – Today Mayor Michael A. Nutter declared that tomorrow Philadelphia will be known as the “The City of Google-ly Love and Gigabit Affection” in support of the City’s application to become a Google internet test site. Google is running a nationwide request-for-information (RFI) process looking for communities that want to become a test bed for development of a network that could provide Internet speeds over 100 times faster than usual. Google will select one or more test bed locations across the country. The City of Philadelphia is putting together the official RFI response, due tomorrow, with input from a variety of stakeholders. The City also encourages employees, residents, businesses, universities/colleges and institutions to support the effort to bring the Google Fiber for Communities project to Philadelphia.

“The more civic pride and enthusiasm we display, the better the chance that we’ll be able to convince Google that Philadelphia – the City of ‘Firsts’ – is the best place to put the nation’s first ultra high speed Internet system”, said Mayor Nutter. “We want to encourage all who live or work in Philadelphia to demonstrate their support by visiting http://gigabitphilly.com, providing your contact information and sharing your ideas.”

“Google fiber will bring ultra high speed Internet access to businesses and homes, creating unprecedented opportunities for economic and community development,” said Chief Technology Officer Allan Frank. “Google’s initiative is consistent with the City’s broader vision to become ‘Gigabit City’, whereby Philadelphia creates technology ecosystems throughout the City where ultra high speed Internet is used strategically to create jobs, both directly and indirectly related to technology.”

The City and its stakeholder partners are also asking for help spreading the word through on-line social networking by becoming a fan of the “Gigabit Philly” Facebook page and promoting to their friends and networks.