5 Pillars of Ending Hunger and Homelessness

Hunger Vision

Food is a Human Right. Every unsheltered person will have a minimum of 2 meals/day - 1 Fresh and 1 Shelf stable.

Precisely quantify/qualify and, locate ( as accuratly as possible) all unsheltered homeless in Philadelphia
Every Child, Veteran and Senior will have 3 nutritious meals/day by July 4th, 2025
Perform GAP analysis by qualifying and locating current inventory of meals currently provided daily/weekly by Not-for-Profits (NFPs)
Maximize sourcing of food to the Philadelphia metro Charitable Food Supply chain
Beyond SNAP, document the source and use of all hunger relief funds in the city including money spent on feeding sheltered vs unsheltered homeless
Analyze city funding of meals for sheltered vs unsheltered
Solicit help from NFPs, Govt., Corporations, Foundations, Sports Teams, Celebrities and Private donors
Coordinate the collaboration of all applicable stakeholders to fill the Gap
Maximize and Optimize the food in the Charitable Supply Chain by leveraging ROcI, CSCO, and ChaaS

Housing Vision

Housing is a Human Right. Every unsheltered person will have safe, permanent housing by July 4th, 2026 with all Veterans and Seniors in housing by July 4th, 2025.

Accurately quantify/qualify and (as best possible) locate all unsheltered homeless in Philadelphia
Acquire Free Home (one of 12,000 vacant homes) from City, PHA, Bank, or Private party to create pilot for “Near $0 Sweat Equity Shared Housing”
Recruit from the OHS shelter system 4 “Sweat Equity Participants” to transform Vacant House to THEIR home. Partner with NFPs to provide continuing case management and coaching
Assemble team of MissionMentors who are volunteer, experienced craftspeople that can mentor and supervise 4 “Sweat Equity Participants”
Solicit National/Regional manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers for all supplies needed to transform vacant houses into code-compliant homes
Work with City Council and Mayors office to provide 10-year tax abatements on these transformed homes AND adjust zoning issues to provide path for 4 “Co-op” units/home enabling for home ownership
Explore Partnering with Unions to provide mentoring and apprenticeships for Sweat Equity participants
Develop 300+ units of new, incremental affordable housing units by July 4th, 2026
Publish the Document the “cookbook” and “recipes” of pilot process and success on MissionPhiladelphia.org
Recruit Churches and other NFPs to “adopt” vacant houses throughout the city and replicate the pilot success
To maximize the number of homes transformed after the pilot, solicit help from Govt., Corporations, Foundations, Sports Teams, Celebrities and Private donors to hire full-time project managers & mentors and staff to maximize donated building supplies.

Enrollment Vision

Every Homeless Person to be registered for Medicaid and SNAP by July 4th, 2024

Quantify/Qualify the sheltered and unsheltered homeless that are not registered for Medicaid and SNAP
Identify the top Compass Partners in Philadelphia responsible for the registration of the homeless in 2019, 2020 , 2021 and 2022.
Establish and coordinate the scheduled, staffed participation in a weekly scheduled walk-in registration at area Hospitals, Federally-Funded Health Clinics, PA State Rep offices as well as NFP locations. Medicaid and SNAP cards will be mailed to these organizations for pickup
Explore financial incentives for organizations to maximize enrollment
Establish and coordinate a mobile registration force using NFP outreach workers and volunteers such as Social Work majors from area universities
Coordinate with Medicaid; United Healthcare, Aetna Better Health, Health Partners and BCBS Keystone First.

Recovery Vision

Provide Addiction and Mental Health Treatment for Every Homeless person that is ready and willing to accept services

Enroll every homeless person on Medicaid to facilitate and maximize access to physical and behavioral health treatment
Qualify and Quantify the Neighbors in Need that require the full spectrum of treatment
Classify the population using the “PCNA Transtheoretical Model for 5 Stages of Readiness to Change”
Armed with the demographics, tailor outreach programs for each group laser focused on their readiness stage, substance and/or mental illness issues, age, and other demographic factors
Coordinate with existing programs from Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) and Community Behavioral Health (CBH)
Identify and secure partner organization for collaboration on a Recovery Pillar plan and to lead these efforts.

Prosperity Vision

Reduce poverty to below 20% by July 4th, 2026 by escalating Job/Salary/Business Growth, Education/Vocational Training and Home Ownership, Healthcare for ALL and 360 degree sustainabilty

Explore partnerships with the Chamber of Commerce and other business organizations to find a partner to lead Prosperity efforts
Engage K-Grad [School District of Philadelphia (SDP), Parochial, Private], Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) and all local universities to proactively get involved with the Prosperity Pillar
Encourage Mayor and City Council (in collaboration with State and Federal legislators) to effectuate $15 minimum wage
Foster execution of a plan/curriculum to increase K-12 literacy, math performance, technology acumen, financial competence, life skills development, vocational training and graduation rates
Collaborate with NFPs that serve Returning Citizens to prevent homelessness and encourage expansion of job opportunities with local businesses
Provide every adult the opportunity to improve their lives via free community college or vocational training
Every Philadelphia must have access to physical and behavioral healthcare
Explore opportunities to use SDP Vocation training facilities for Adult evening and summer classes.
Foster 360 Degree Sustainability in all initiatives: Environmental, Economic/Financial, Public Safety, & Quality of Life