The City of Philadelphia has announced the creation of an emergency rent assistance program that will help up to 3,000 residents stay in their homes because of this coronavirus COVID-19 crisis. "Unprecedented job losses have placed financial pressure on both renters and landlords," said Mayor Jim Kenney. "The COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program will help thousands of Philadelphia renters and, in turn, help landlords. Keeping people in their homes is critical during this crisis." Renters must rent an apartment or house in Philadelphia, must have a valid and current written lease signed by your landlord, and must have lost income because of COVID-19. There are a few disqualifying criteria, you must provide certain documents, and your landlord must agree to some parameters. (see requirements link below) Funding is limited and not all applicants will be accepted. Selected tenants will receive rent assistance for three months up to $2,500 total. Your situation will be reevaluated every three months and the assistance could be extended for up to 1 year. Applications will be open starting May 12 at 10 a.m. and close May 16 at 5 p.m. (see link below). You do not have to have or have had COVID-19 to qualify. You can also Donate to the program.
— PHL's Department of Planning & Development (@PHLPlanDevelop) May 8, 2020
SEPTA announced that they will return to regular schedules on most services starting Sunday, May 17. Customers are still advised to use SEPTA for essential travel only and are urged to wear face coverings or masks. Capacity limits on buses and trollies will remain in effect. Front-door boarding and fare collection will resume. Riders are encouraged to exit through the rear door. Regional Rail will continue on limited service. The Market-Frankford El and Broad Street Line stations that are open now will remain open while the ones that are closed will remain closed. See the updated schedule link below for all the new information.
"In an effort to improve conditions for essential travelers and employees during the COVID-19 crisis, and prepare for the region's reopening, SEPTA will return to regular schedules on most Transit services starting the week of May 17. This includes resuming service on all bus and trolley routes with front-door boarding and fare payment, and restoring regular weekday and weekend frequencies on the Market-Frankford, Broad Street and Norristown High Speed Lines," SEPTA said Friday.
"The health and safety of employees and customers remains SEPTA’s top priority, and this return-to-service plan is focused on enhancing measures we have put in place to reduce crowding and promote social distancing," said SEPTA General Manager Leslie Richards. "While we are preparing for an eventual increase in ridership, service will continue to be available for essential travel only until further notice. If you do not need to get to work or access life-sustaining services, please do your part to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 by staying off the system."
A funeral service was held today, Friday, May 8, for Philadelphia Police Sgt. James O'Connor IV who was shot and killed while on duty on March 13. O'Connor was posthumously promoted from Corporal to Sergeant. He was a married father of two adult children. His daughter is an active member of the Air Force and his son, James O'Connor V is also a Philadelphia police officer. The funeral mass was held at Our Lady of Calvary on Knights Road in Northeast Philadelphia. Only his close family and a handful of law enforcement were inside because of social distancing measures. James delivered a eulogy for his father. He said, "The last eight weeks have been extremely difficult to say the least, you cannot imagine the pain that our family has experienced. This isn't the way we wanted to say goodbye to my father, it's just not fair... When the time is right we will give my dad the proper sendoff." Mayor Jim Kenney and Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw also had remarks. Outlaw announced that O'Connor was awarded the Medal of Honor, Purple Heart, and Sgt. Robert Wilson III Medal of Honor. 46-year-old O'Connor was serving an arrest warrant early in the morning in Frankford. Arrests have been made in the a case.
WATCH the Funeral mass for Philadelphia Police Sgt. James O'Connor IV:
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