Councilmember Kendra Brooks

Today we wrapped up our Team Retreat, three days of recommitting to our values, planning out the coming year, and strengthening our team. We are clear-eyed, restored, and ready to deliver for working families this fall.

With property taxes going up due to new assessments, now is a good time to find out if you are eligible for any of the City’s tax relief programs. Check out these resources from .

The new date for the Autism Playdate is Saturday, September 21st. The location (Smith Memorial Playground) and time (12pm-4pm) is the same!

Mark your calendars for Disability Pride on the Parkway! For more information, check out disabilitypridepa.org

Due to the forecast of stormy weather, we are postponing the Autism Play Date. Please stay tuned for the new date!

I'm so proud of our Philadelphia Youth Network, Inc. summer interns, Sean and Makayla, and I'm wishing them the best as they head to college this fall. Sean will be starting at Villanova University, where he plans to study public policy. And we were so happy to welcome Makayla back to our office after her first year at Penn State. They provided valuable feedback from a youth perspective during their time in my office, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they accomplish in the future!

Still wrapping my head around this major shift in how Philly handles evictions. We passed the Angel Davis Eviction Accountability Act, and now the LTO is phasing out for-profit evictions.

Landlord-tenant office plans phase-out evictions, potential closure – Metro Philadelphia Philadelphia’s landlord-tenant office — which has drawn significant scrutiny from progressive lawmakers and housing advocates following a series of shootings

The ’s sixth annual Solar Week will take place from August 12-16. ☀️

Check out the exciting events and register at bit.ly/SolarWeekPHL
☀️ Monday, August 12th 10-11am: Office Hours for RFP: Technical Assistance for Tax Credit Advisory
☀️ Monday, August 12th 2-3pm: Solar Week Kickoff Press Event: Announcing the expansion of the Solarize Philly program, at the site of a recently completed project, with the
☀️ Monday, August 12th 6-7pm: Residential Solar 101: Learn How To Go Solar At Home (Webinar), with and Solarize Installers , , , and
☀️ Tuesday, August 13th 12-1pm: Stakeholder session: Powering Progress with Installer Insights (Webinar)
☀️ Tuesday, August 13th 6-8pm: Green Drinks Philly: Networking Happy Hour, sponsored by Green Investment Strategies,
☀️ Wednesday, August 14th 9-10am: Schools: Get Ready To Go Solar! (Webinar), with , , and
☀️ Wednesday, August 14th 12-1pm: Stakeholder session: Bright Futures through Consumer Protections and LMI Solar Access (Webinar)
☀️ Thursday, August 15th 12-1pm: Stakeholder session: Energizing Careers with Workforce Development in Solar (Webinar)
☀️ Friday, August 16th 9:30am-12:30pm: Collaborative - Doing Solar Business in Philadelphia: Interconnection and Permitting Updates at McCall Field & Golf Course, Upper Darby
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The Philadelphia Energy Authority's sixth annual Solar Week will take place from August 12-16. ☀️

Check out the exciting events and register at bit.ly/SolarWeekPHL

☀️ Monday, August 12th 10-11am: Office Hours for RFP: Technical Assistance for Tax Credit Advisory

☀️ Monday, August 12th 2-3pm: Solar Week Kickoff Press Event: Announcing the expansion of the Solarize Philly program, at the site of a recently completed Habitat for Humanity
project, with the Philadelphia Green Capital Corp

☀️ Monday, August 12th 6-7pm: Residential Solar 101: Learn How To Go Solar At Home (Webinar), with Climate Action Pennsylvania and Solarize Installers Exact Solar, PosiGen, Solr Standard , and Superior Solar

☀️ Tuesday, August 13th 12-1pm: Stakeholder session: Powering Progress with Installer Insights (Webinar)

☀️ Tuesday, August 13th 6-8pm: Green Drinks Philly: Networking Happy Hour, sponsored by Green Investment Strategies and Victory Brewing Company

☀️ Wednesday, August 14th 9-10am: Schools: Get Ready To Go Solar! (Webinar), with PA Solar Center, PSEA - PA State Education Association, and Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler

☀️ Wednesday, August 14th 12-1pm: Stakeholder session: Bright Futures through Consumer Protections and LMI Solar Access (Webinar)

☀️ Thursday, August 15th 12-1pm: Stakeholder session: Energizing Careers with Workforce Development in Solar (Webinar)

☀️ Friday, August 16th 9:30am-12:30pm: / Collaborative - Doing Solar Business in Philadelphia: Interconnection and Permitting Updates at McCall Field & Golf Course, Upper Darby

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Step right up to a spectacular event! Join us next weekend on Saturday, August 10th at Smith Memorial Playground from 12-4pm for the 7th Annual Autism Play Date!

Activities include live music and entertainment, delicious food and refreshments, fun games and activities for all ages, valuable resources and information, and supportive community networking.

Attendance to the event is FREE and open to all families touched by autism. Whether you’re looking to connect with others, enjoy a day out, or learn about local resources, there’s something here for everyone. RSVP at bit.ly/7th-autism-play-date.

For today’s hearing on youth homelessness in Philly, we gathered at the Sixth Man Center. It was fitting to be tackling one of the biggest challenges facing young people in a brand new space designed to engage our young folks! We heard extraordinary testimony from some brave young people who have experienced homelessness and learned about a great page for resources, started by one of the young people who testified about her experience: !

The Angel Davis Eviction Accountability Act raised the bar for transparency, training, and public accountability for evictions in Philadelphia. If the LTO can’t meet that bar, then they should not be performing evictions. Every other municipality in our state is able to operate without private, for-profit evictions, and I know our city can do the same.

The Angel Davis Eviction Accountability Act sets a new and higher standard for private entities that conduct evictions in Philadelphia, and if Marisa Shuter is unable to meet that standard, then her office should not be conducting evictions. Every other municipality in the state of Pennsylvania operates without allowing private entities to conduct evictions. I am confident that Philadelphia can find a way to do the same.

Philly’s for-profit eviction system could shut down in the coming weeks The Landlord and Tenant Office may not have the insurance it needs to continue operating.

People over profit. If you can’t keep people safe, you should not be in business in Philadelphia.

Join me Wednesday night for this virtual conversation about what it takes to win all the things working families deserve: higher wages, stable homes, safe workplaces, and vibrant communities with lots of resources. Women have always been at the forefront of improving life for working families, and now we’re building the supermajority to demand our share of our country’s wealth. Head over to to register!

The Philly Joy Bank is still accepting applications! Visit phillyjoybank.org to check your eligibility and apply.

My Philly crew and my progressive squad!

PA progressives in Oakland for National Convening! We are growing our network of local electeds in PA who represent the multiracial working class and lead on racial and economic justice. So happy to be here with my fellow members , , , and .

Black. Progressive. And proud! So energizing to join fellow Black progressive municipal elected at the national convening in Oakland. Looking forward to leading a breakout session today on the Philly Wealth Tax and learning from my colleagues across the country.

When I say we need to hold corporate landlords accountable, THIS is what I’m talking about. Without rent control or social housing, wealthy “developers” squeeze profit out of our housing and leave our most vulnerable neighbors without a safe place to live. Unacceptable.

Come one, come all to the 7th Annual Autism Playdate at Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse! My office, in partnership with the The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, is hosting this FREE event for families touched by autism. Please RSVP at bit.ly/7th-autism-play-date

We stood up to Jay Z and Jeff Yass, and we won! This is a collective victory for the public school parents, students, and teachers who demanded that our public dollars go to our public schools. Lesson learned: When working people come together, we can defeat the millionaires and billionaires who want to defund the public goods that the rest of us rely on.

We all deserve to travel safely through our city - whether we're walking, riding, or rolling. Councilmember Nicolas O'Rourke and I are committed to strengthening protections for pedestrians and cyclists and putting in place the preventative measures - like protected bike lanes and traffic calming - that save lives.

Here in Philly, our Right to Counsel program has kept thousands of families in their homes. took this program to Harrisburg, and now we’re celebrating the first-ever statewide funding for Right to Counsel: $2.5 million! By fighting for programs like Right to Counsel to Counsel, Eviction Diversion, and rent control, we are leading the way forward on housing justice in our country.

My team visited Mayfair Elementary today to see young people in action, building our solar future! Mayfair is home to the city’s only middle school CTE (career and technical education) program, and the middle school students are partnering with high school students from Frankford HS’s Bright Solar Futures program. These young people are already being recruited for apprenticeships with and ! Huge shout-out to and for creating these opportunities for our young people.

In my hearing on rent stabilization last year, we learned that caps on rent increases would help thousands of working families who have been pushed to the brink of homelessness by soaring rents and a nationwide housing crisis. This is exactly the kind of leadership that working families need!

Biden to unveil plan to cap rents as GOP convention begins The policy plan comes as the president tries to assure Democrats about the viability of his candidacy.

Last month, Salvation Army Kroc Center Philadelphia brought together over 700 community members, leaders, and policymakers for "Spread Love, Not Bullets - Our Community Stands Against Gun Violence." The event was a beautiful testament to the healing power of community and our ongoing work to prevent future gun violence. I enjoyed connecting with an array of dedicated community leaders and look forward to continuing my partnership with the Kroc Center and Reverend Camarda!

Philadelphia KROC Love Not Bullets Symposium “We’ve come together to stand against gun violence in our city, our state, our country, and around the world,” said Major Leslie Knaggs, corps officer at the...

Registration is open for Senator Sharif Street's annual Community Baby Shower! Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc_5SQY9iawMWIZB_06PJ7nFj3n8-JFYNCn0F5rSFFvt-58Cg/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaaX1DHo_6TGpWURwJIOHU3J-xno3Zz0hiv0gEW1Bl0WWf2K5gf4W0jTs-I_aem_y-MfMQs08JoKzYl34HHsng

Congratulations to the newest members of the Youth Commission! I nominated Eliza Cucchiara, who has interned in my office for the past two school years, designing informational materials for young folks and sharing her passion for reproductive justice. Eliza will be serving as the Youth Commissioner for Education, and I know she will do great work!

Boost Your Business is a program to help historically disadvantaged businesses grow, obtain new contracts, increase revenue, and create jobs for Philadelphians. 20 eligible businesses will be selected to receive a $50,000 forgivable loan. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3KGdBJG