general-assistance

Wolf meets with Dems to mend fences, pitch minimum wage hike

BY: - November 18, 2019

The 40-minute, closed door session placated some Democrats, but left others skeptical

‘There is irreparable harm’: Pa. Supreme Court considers temporarily restoring cash assistance for poor Pennsylvanians

BY: - October 16, 2019

The program, known as General Assistance, ended on Aug. 1 after the General Assembly voted to eliminate it as part of the summer budget process.

‘People can’t afford to bathe themselves’: What life is like for Pennsylvanians who lost cash assistance

BY: - September 11, 2019

Dalia is working toward some big goals, including securing a place to live. That got harder on Aug. 1, when General Assistance ended for a second time. Dalia is a former beneficiary of the state-run program, which provided a $205-a-month stipend to more than 12,000 people with disabilities, in treatment for addiction, and fleeing domestic […]

COMMENTARY
Pat Albright repurposes a sign to protest the elimination of General Assistance. (Photo by Sarah Anne Hughes)

Pa. just eliminated general assistance. The need for it hasn’t gone away | Opinion

BY: - August 4, 2019

We hope to enlist more allies in this fight, because we are not giving up.

Pat Albright repurposes a sign to protest the elimination of General Assistance. (Photo by Sarah Anne Hughes)

Democrats ask Wolf to declare emergency response to cash assistance elimination

BY: - August 1, 2019

The letter was sent on the same day that a Commonwealth Court judge denied a preliminary injunction to keep General Assistance going as a lawsuit over its demise is adjudicated. 

Wolf announces reforms to state regulation of child, adult care facilities

BY: - July 31, 2019

With an eye on improving conditions for vulnerable Pennsylvanians — everyone from children to the disabled and the elderly — Gov. Tom Wolf signed an executive order Wednesday to reform internal policies while seeking suggestions for further action by fall. Citing the “Kids for Cash” scandal — where two judges took millions in kickbacks from […]

Advocates for poor Pennsylvanians sue over elimination of cash assistance program

BY: - July 22, 2019

Community Legal Services and Disability Rights Pennsylvania are seeking preliminary injunction to prevent the program from ending Aug. 1, as currently scheduled. 

COMMENTARY

The Legislature’s failure to pass a minimum wage hike, while eliminating General Assistance, was a gut punch to Philadelphia | Opinion

BY: - July 7, 2019

Eliminating the General Assistance program is simply the wrong decision. It is one of the most vital human services programs we have in our state today, while also amounting to a relatively small portion of the state budget.

Read all of the Capital-Star’s budget week coverage in one place

BY: - June 29, 2019

With the final votes out of the way, and the ink from Gov. Tom Wolf’s pen drying on the finished documents, another Pennsylvania budget season is in the books. And since it’s the Capital-Star’s first-ever budget season, we thought it would be useful to have all our coverage from this very busy week in one […]

Top Republican on Senate chaos: ‘Today we saw what happens when rules aren’t followed’

BY: - June 26, 2019

"This is the worst day in the Senate that I’ve been here," one top Republican said.

Pat Albright repurposes a sign to protest the elimination of General Assistance. (Photo by Sarah Anne Hughes)

General Assembly moves closer to eliminating cash assistance for disabled Pennsylvanians

BY: - June 25, 2019

A state Senate Committee voted along party lines Monday to eliminate a cash assistance program for disabled Pennsylvanians.