General Assistance For PA Poor Eliminated
A decades-long General Assistance (GA) program that had been re-instated by the state Supreme Court last year was eliminated last week, affecting more than 11,000 Pennsylvanians reported to be relying on the small, temporary program targeted to the most vulnerable as a bridge in times of crisis. LAMPa staff and
Gov. Wolf Signs 2019-2020 Budget
On June 28, Pennsylvania adopted a $34 billion budget that includes no new taxes but socks $330 million away in a rainy day fund. Highlights include increases for housing, education (basic, pre-k and special education), election security and help for a struggling agricultural industry. Funding for the state’s two major
KIDS COUNT Data Book Shows Pennsylvania Ranks 17th for Overall Child Well-being
The 30th edition of the KIDS COUNT® Data Book, released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, shows Pennsylvania ranks 17th for overall child well-being. According to the report – one of the more comprehensive national reviews of child wellbeing – Pennsylvania made gains in economic well-being, education and health, and
United Way Report Shows More Struggling For Basics In PA
In 2017, 1,856,785 households in Pennsylvania — 37 percent — could not afford basic needs such as housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and technology. A new report from the United Way of Pennsylvania shows that economic recovery reported since the Great Recession has been uneven, and more Pennsylvania
LAMPa Welcomes Susan Barclay to Policy Council
Susan Barclay, a member of St. Luke Lutheran Church in Rockwood, Pennsylvania, part of the Allegheny Synod, recently joined the LAMPa Policy Council. She is a retired mathematics teacher from Rockwood Area School District. Susan is married to Kirby Barclay, the mother of four children and four grandchildren, all the
New Resource Available – “The Forgotten Luther II: Reclaiming the Church’s Public Witness”
In this critical time in history, "The Forgotten Luther II: Reclaiming the Church's Public Witness", this volume argues that what is urgently needed is a cogent, clear, biblically based and theologically grounded rationale for the manner in which the church speaks and acts in the political arena. Lured at times
Take Action On the 2020 Census
Pennsylvania is at risk of an undercount in the 2020 Census, and this could mean a significant loss of federal funds for healthcare, nutrition assistance, transportation, housing, education, programs for children and parents, and much more. Pennsylvanians can not afford to put these programs needlessly at risk. That's why every Pennsylvania resident
Contact Your State Lawmakers to Include General Assistance In State Budget
Please act today to urge your state representative and senator to vote to include General Assistance in the PA General Budget. General Assistance will best serve Commonwealth residents if it is included in the General Budget, NOT as an afterthought in the Human Code. General Assistance in Pennsylvania (GA) provides
Lutherans Gather To Set a Welcome Table
Lutherans from across the Commonwealth gathered in the Capital on May 20 to speak up for the hungry, network with statewide advocates, worship, learn about hunger and child nutrition, human trafficking, climate change, prescription drug pricing, the ELCA's proposed Declaration of Inter-Religious Commitment with keynote Kathryn Lohre, and more. In
ELCA Student Minister Deported
Betty Rendón, a synodically authorized minister in the Greater Milwaukee Synod, and members of her family were detained by immigration officials May 8. On May 28,Rendón and her husband, Carlos Hincapie, were deported to Colombia, from which they fled civil war in 2004. Her daughter (a DACA recipient) and granddaughter
