SOSNA News - November 2002

SOSNA helps with heating assistance | The NAC Corner | Holiday Toy and Clothing Drive | Residents want mostly residential in 2100 block of South | SOSNA receives operating grant | Affordable homes, 17th and Carpenter

SOSNA Administers LIHEAP for Area
The SOSNA Housing Counseling Office at 625 S. 17th Street (corner Bainbridge) and the SOSNA NAC Office at 1711 South Street are now accepting applications for help with heating bills under Pennsylvania's Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Call 215-546-0699 or 215-732-8446 to schedule an appointment to complete an application, or stop in at the SOSNA NAC Office at 1711 South Street.

To qualify for LIHEAP benefits, annual income must be no more than $11,961 for a family of One, $16,119 for a family of Two, and up to $41,067 for a family of Eight. Benefits include Cash Benefits paid directly to the provider of a heating fuel, and Crisis Benefits of up to $300 per program year to prevent a shut-off. Households qualifying for Crisis Benefits may also receive Weatherization Benefits, which provide assistance with repairs and insulation intended to reduce energy consumption and energy costs for low-income households.

"We are very pleased to be able to offer LIHEAP assistance to area residents," said Doug Norman, SOSNA's Executive Director. "Previously we had referred applicants to providers outside the neighborhood, but our new set-up will make the application process easier and more convenient for residents."

The NAC Corner by Eve Lewis
Communication is key to the success of any community organization. As the new NAC Director (Neighborhood Advisory Council), I need to hear from you, the residents in our service area. Call, stop by, drop off information about activities, programs or problems in your section of the neighborhood. Further, I am requesting support from residents to act as SOSNA Block Representatives, people who can distribute literature and monthly meeting notices. SOSNA is working on a new 5 Year Strategic Plan for the area. We are planning meetings in various sections of the neighborhood to involve all residents in the development of the plan. Whether it's gardens and open space, recreation and the arts, parking or traffic, or zoning and land use, the new strategic plan cannot be successful without widespread participation and input. We need your input. We need your involvement and concern. I look forward to meeting you in the office or at one of the community meetings. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Toy and Clothing Drive
SOSNA will sponsor its 1st Annual Holiday Toy and Clothing Drive to benefit needy families and children in the community. Please bring unwrapped toys or clothing items to the SOSNA NAC Office at 1711 South Street, so we can bring holiday cheer to families who might go without. For further information, contact Eve Lewis at 215-742-8446.

Residents want mostly residential on 2100 block of South Street
Residents who attended the community meeting held by SOSNA on October 28th at Greater St. Matthew Baptist Church indicated their preference for a small amount of commercial development at the Southeast corner of 22nd and South and mostly residential development for Graduate Hospital's parking lot on the Southside of the 2100 Block of South Street.

Graduate has decided to sell its parking lot on the 2100 Block of South Street, and developers have been calling the SOSNA office to inquire about community preferences on development. In response, SOSNA leafleted the area between 21st and 24th Street from South to Bainbridge and set up a meeting to gauge community sentiment. "Residents who lived closer to South Street appeared to favor residential development, and residents who were more distant seemed to favor commercial," said Eve Lewis, the SOSNA NAC Director. "Unfortunately, despite the leafleting, we did not have a good turn-out from the business operators along that section of South Street. But this is all very preliminary, since any developer of that site will have to return with a specific plan and seek a zoning variance."

"Residents favored traditional street frontage with windows and stoops rather than 1st Floor garages for the site," said Alan Mandel, the SOSNA Zoning Chair. "Any purchaser of that site would be well-advised to think about rear parking with access along a service road coming in from 22nd Street, because SOSNA will now oppose 1st Floor garages on South or Kater Streets at that location."

In a related issue, Newman Galleries from Walnut Street, which has operated its framing plant on the 2300 Block of South Street since the 1970's, presented its case at the community meeting for legalization of its small parking lot at the Southwest corner of 23rd and South. Residents supported Newman Galleries, but asked for repairs or reconstruction of the sidewalks and parking lot, which are in poor shape. Newman also asked to be excused from the landscaping requirements for parking lots, and offered to install potted shrubs on the sidewalk instead. SOSNA has asked that Newman consider a mural on its sidewall, in the realistic style of painting in which Newman specializes, in order to dress up the commercial district at 23rd and South.

SOSNA Receives $7,500 Grant From The Philadelphia Foundation for Operations
SOSNA received a $7,500 grant from The Philadelphia Foundation to assist with operating expenses for the current year, according to Alan Mandel, the SOSNA Treasurer. "We are very grateful for this assistance," said Mandel. "SOSNA is always short of funds, especially in the NAC (Neighborhood Advisory Council) budget, where the OHCD allocation has been fixed at $62,000 annually for the past 6 years. We pay salaries, social security contributions, rent, utilities, phone, office supplies, duplicating, and leafleting costs out of this budget. It's quite a stretch because we have a very big service area with a population of 10,000, and a lot of people to reach with a small staff. That's one reason we operate the SOSNA Thrift Shop at 1635 South Street: to earn extra money and supplement our budget where we can. We welcome cash donations from area residents to help pay for our programs, many of which are not fully budgeted." If you would like to provide a tax deductible donation to SOSNA, call 215-732-8446, or access information on our website: southofsouth.org. Even small donations help us to provide outreach to all residents and better serve the community.

17th Street SOSNA/Universal Affordable Home Ownership Development Designs
will be Presented at Nov. 13th Meeting at Rec. Center at 7:30PM

View Plans

At the Marian Anderson Recreation Center on Weds., Nov. 13th at 7:30 PM, Architect George Marks will present designs and answer questions from residents on the 24 new- construction 3 and 4 Bedroom town homes to be developed in the vicinity of 17th and Carpenter Streets. The homes will be sold to income-eligible buyers whose income is no more than 80% of the median income in Philadelphia.

This means that to be eligible to purchase a home, a family of One can earn no more than $33,650 per year, a family of Two no more than $38,450, a family of Four no more than $48,100, and so on. Prices for the homes will be established in consultation with the Redevelopment Authority, but we anticipate at this point that they will cost about $80,000. There is a 10 Year Tax Abatement on the homes, so buyers will only pay taxes based on the value of the land. We anticipate that construction on the homes will begin in the Spring of 2003.

If you want to purchase one of these new homes, call Luz Harper, the SOSNA Housing Counselor, at 215-546-0699. If you complete SOSNA's Housing Counseling Program, you may qualify for a City grant to assist with settlement costs. Don't delay, because these new homes will be the most affordable offered in our area, where housing prices have risen sharply.

SOSNA General Meetings
SOSNA General Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month, September thru June, at 7:30 PM at the Marian Anderson Recreation Center, 17th Street between Fitzwater and Catharine, 2nd Floor Auditorium. Special Note: The December General Meeting will be held on December 4th at 7:30 PM at St. Anthony's Senior Residence Community Room, 2309-17 Carpenter Street.

Published by South of South Neighborhood Assoc., Inc. 1711 South Street, Phila. Pa. 19146. Phone 215-732-8446. Fax: 215-732-2016. Web-Site: www.southofsouth.org. Housing Counseling Office: 215-546-0699. Doug Norman, Executive Director; Eve Lewis, NAC Director; Luz Harper, Senior Housing Counselor.
DON'T FORGET TO VOTE ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH

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SOSNA is the Neighborhood Advisory Committee for the area from South Street to Washington Avenue, Broad Street West to the Schuylkill River, funded by the Office of Housing and Community Development to provide citizen input into their redevelopment process in our community. SOSNA is a registered nonprofit corporation exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Site contents copyright SOSNA except where indicated.