As the 2011-2012 legislative session comes to a close this month, some are already looking to next session and hoping for legislative victories on issues of importance. But, as the saying goes, to get where you’re going, you’ve got to know where you’ve been.  So, before we turn the ca

The Homeowner’s Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program  (HEMAP) has offered assistance to over 40,000 Pennsylvanians who face foreclosure through no fault of their own (like illness).  The program was closed last year but has now been reopened, thanks to your advocacy on behalf of thos

Thanks to your advocacy, issues of concern to Catholics received more attention this year than in recent memory. Now that state legislators have returned to their home districts for the summer, here is a quick recap:

Bishop Joseph McFadden, who serves as Bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg and PCC President, wrote an op-ed in today’s Patriot News about concern for the poor in the state budget. Here is an excerpt: Catholic Charities, which serves people of all faiths and of no faith, recently

Pennsylvania has long supported programs that help those in dire need, providing a sound, reasonable safety net for its citizens. As the state budget is debated in Harrisburg, there are three basic programs that should receive funding because of the important work they do in assisting

A rally held on Tuesday, April 3 at the Capitol building in Harrisburg highlighted the need for the restoration of funds to Homeowners Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (HEMAP). Read more about funding in the state budget for programs that help the poor here. HEMAP offers short-te

We know that the Gospel instructs us to care for the poor in our community. In fact, Catholics are renowned for their service to low- or no- income Pennsylvanians, assisting hundreds of thousands of our needy brothers and sisters each year through our charities. What we may not consid

When the economy turns down, foreclosures on homes go up. Reports last week in the Central Penn Business Journal and the Philadelphia Inquirer show that Pennsylvania is not exempt. Many Pennsylvanians are finding it difficult to make their monthly mortgage payments due to circumstance

A coalition of 80 housing, religious, labor, legal, Latino, women’s and social services organizations called on Governor Corbett to restart the Homeowners Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (HEMAP) by including adequate funding for the program in the 2012-13 state budget. HEMAP was