Housing and Work Assistance Stories
Here's a selection of my stories on housing and work assistance programs, largely in Philadelphia.
Center City: Washing the Feet of Philadelphia’s Vulnerable Residents
For Philadelphia Neighborhoods
Foot pain can be a common and sometimes-forgotten health problem, especially among people experiencing homelessness. But for the many who walk miles a day in ill-fitting shoes or none at all, it can be excruciating.
Photo by Claire Wolters (me).
Center City: Philly Restart’s Food Line Has an Identity, A Family
For Philadelphia Neighborhoods
Every week, a group of people meet at Philadelphia's Logan Circle for a hot meal and help with services like signing up for an ID. Not all the people have homes, but together, they say they form a family.
Photo by Claire Wolters (me).
Philly vaccination clinic for people experiencing homelessness launches at the Hub of Hope
For Kensington Voice
When COVID-19 vaccines were first available in February 2021, here's how Philly-based organizations helped vaccinate people experiencing homelessness.
Photo by Claire Wolters (me).
Philly curfews and closures create challenges for people experiencing homelessness, outreach workers
For Kensington Voice
Protests in the city of Philadelphia led to curfews in summer 2020. Here's how that hurt people without homes.
At Philly’s largest men’s shelter, more than half of guests and staff test positive for COVID-19
For Kensington Voice
This was the first of three breaking news stories about how a massive COVID-19 outbreak spread through Philadelphia's largest men's shelter, and how the Philadelphia health department handled the aftermath. Those in charge said they felt their guests were disrespected.
Photo courtesy of Sunday Breakfast, the shelter.
The Hub of Hope’s laundry services help homeless people feel 'normal’ again
For The Philadelphia Inquirer
People experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia discuss the dignity of clean clothes.
Photo by Claire Wolters (me).
‘I’m still here’: Housing insecurity creates daily obstacles and few solutions
For The Temple News
Students at Temple University discuss their experiences with homelessness and housing security, and doing college on their own.
For Kensington Voice
As the United States went into lockdown for the COVID-19 pandemic, drug recovery workers faced a new challenge: how to help people who were overdosing on substances, from a safe distance.
Signs of the homeless go on display for art and research
For The Philadelphia Inquirer
A traveling artist and affordable housing advocate makes art from cardboard signs, which he buys from people panhandling for money.
Photo by Claire Wolters (me).