Hunger relief comes to Chester, PA, a federally designated “food desert.” The supermarket, Fare & Square, offers free membership and includes, for low income people, a 7% store credit for each time they shop. The supermarket is operated by Philabundance, a nonprofit.
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46.5 million Americans, 15% of the population, live at or below the poverty line according to the recently released United States Census Population Survey.
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There is a common misperception that people experiencing poverty do not have enough discipline to save and pull themselves out of poverty. The truth is that it is expensive to be poor.
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The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is committed to ending Veteran homelessness by the end of 2015 through their Homeless Veterans Outreach Initiative. The VA wants to partner with organizations and individuals in communities across the country to end and prevent homelessness among Veterans.
“The single best way to help Veterans who are homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless is to connect them with VA. Each VA medical center has a homeless coordinator on staff and specific programs that provide Veterans the support they need to establish or maintain safe, stable housing. VA has also established the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans (877-4AID-VET, or 877-424-3838), a toll-free hotline available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Trained responders—many of them Veterans themselves—are available to provide support to Veterans and their loved ones who lack safe, secure housing. These services are also available on an online chat at va.gov/homeless. ”
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“I think we’ve paved the way,” said Leah Esguerra, the SFPL’s social worker, who is in demand as a speaker at library and social worker conferences. She estimates that the library has helped more than 60 patrons find permanent housing and hundreds of others find social services.
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