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For more than 15 years, various residents and organizations across South Philly have been working together to combat truancy and the many ways that family life and home dynamics contribute to poor school behaviors. Community EPIC Stakeholder Groups, shortened to EPIC Stakeholders (adults) and Junior Stakeholders (under 22), were leading that charge across the city in many different iterations and methodologies. A 15- to 18-year-old effort on behalf of Philadelphia Department of Human Services (DHS), it recently officially disbanded due to a DHS budgetary and operational shakeup, and July 23 at Dixon House, 1920 S. 19th St., EPIC Stakeholders got a loving tribute.
According to the DHS EPIC page, the aim was in: “Recognizing that truancy is generally a symptom of other problems occurring for the family such as poverty, lack of family cohesion, child abuse/neglect, community violence and/or behavior and physical health problems, stakeholder groups are committed to addressing challenges facing the community.” A couple things EPIC stakeholders do include “Build[ing] partnerships between community residents, the family court, law enforcement and the school district” and “Identify[ing], organiz[ing] and enhanc[ing] and utiliz[ing] community resources and assets.”
At Dixon House, many stakeholders came together, including Kim Smith, a Point Breeze activist and super-mom, 2nd District Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, United Communities Southeast Philadelphia and South East Asian Mutual Assistance Association Coalition. Johnson honored long participants with citations from the City, including one for Philadelphia Police 3rd District Community Relations Officer Juan “Ace” Delgado.
“It was an old organization passing on the torch and the community taking a pledge to support the youth,” Smith said. “Councilman Johnson gave out over 25 citations for community service. They stopped EPIC and they’re giving the community engagement and relations piece to 10 different Community Umbrella Agencies (CUAs) and Bethanna is the one for South Philadelphia and Center City.”
Bethanna, located at 1212 Wood St., a half-mile northeast of City Hall, is “part of a cooperative initiative of social service agencies across Pennsylvania known as the Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network,” according to its website. Its mission bullets include “support children and families along their life journeys” and “preserve and promote safe, nurturing, and permanent families.”
Cathy Fuller works at Bethanna in community engagement. She says they’re the winning CUA, after DHS put out a call soliciting requests for proposals, and they serve the 1st, 3rd and 17th police districts, as well as the 6th and 9th.
“We’re going to be running meetings trying to get key stakeholders to come and present their programs — it’s about getting resources out to the community and [meetings] are a way of spreading awareness of what’s happening in their own backyard,” Fuller said.
Bethanna contracts out truancy services to United Communities, where it specializes in case management and intervening in homes when DHS determines help is necessary.
“The CUA provides the case management services that DHS used to provide,” Fuller explained. “If someone were to suspect child abuse or neglect, DHS will investigate; it’s still up to DHS to figure out what services they are receiving and at what level. If it’s parenting, housing, jobs, drug and alcohol [abuse], our case managers are going to be setting them up and connecting them to services. We want to strengthen families.”
What about the momentum that EPIC and junior EPIC stakeholders had going on in South Philly?
“We lost a lot of funding, now we’re operating without any funding at all,” Smith reported. “We got a small grant from DHS, but that’s not even a portion of what we got before. That last month or so they’ve been operating with no funding. We’ve been making it work, though; where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Anton Moore’s got will, too, and his organization Unity in the Community is in full Peace Week mode with a fourth annual celebration of peace in South Philly. A Public Service Announcement they created is a devastating reminder: gun violence is taking away sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters at an alarming rate, fracturing families and threatening stability.
It started more than eight years ago when Moore organized the first annual Unity in the Community Block Party.
“I had an idea and I was like ‘I would love to bring artists to my community to perform’ and we talked about it and I said ‘I’ll get a stage and see what happens.’ And my first guests were Gillie Da Kid and Jazmine Sullivan.”
He’s keeping the talent for Saturday’s block party, at 20th Street and Snyder Avenue, a secret, but his track record is impressive.
“People were excited and every year I just built momentum,” Moore said.
Beanie Sigel, Meek Mill, Kiana Taylor, Angela Simmons, Peedi Crakk, Lil Mama, Marsha Ambrosius, and Lil’ Mo have all graced Unity in the Community’s block party stage. But the Block Party’s a finale to a slew of programming Moore’s team has put together.
“The block party should be more than one day,” Moore said of the impetus for a full Peace Week. With a recent community softball game, peace rally, senior expo and yesterday’s record expungement clinic, he’s trying to reach a broad spectrum of South Philadelphians. Thursday sees a visit from Mayor Michael Nutter to 20th and Snyder at 6 p.m. for Operation College Help (“We’ll surprise some kids and get them money for books for college”); Friday’s annual Ball 4 Peace takes place at Universal Audenreid Charter High School, 3301 Tasker St., 6 p.m.; and the big block party runs from 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday. Aug. 1. See unityinthecommunity215.com for details.
On the wide array of programming, Moore says “That’s what we’re going for – how can we make Peace Week for everyone? We touch on just about every demographic,” he noted. “Everyone needs peace, from kids to grown-ups to seniors, we want to make sure we send that message. Unity in the Community is here to connect, and we’re going to connect by any means necessary.”
The block party, Moore assures, isn’t just for folks in the neighborhood or those experiencing unrest in their homes. “Yes, it’s for everyone – yup – every single person.”
On making the deeply powerful PSA, Moore said “it was emotional because it took us about four weeks to do it and I learned a lot about the families and what they’re going through — it’s very heartfelt and emotional.”
Contact Staff Writer Bill Chenevert at bchenevert@southphillyreview.com or ext. 117.
Officer Juan “Ace” Delgado received a citation from the City for his contribution to EPIC Stakeholders as Kim Smith (right) smiles with pride.
Photo by Corey Carter
Anton Moore poses with many notable community-building activists at last weekend’s softball game, a new element to Unity in the Community’s Peace Week.
Photo by Richard Barnes
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