2022 Events
Review
We highlighted our Small Business Resource
Fair in last week’s 2022 Events Review. This week
we’d like to feature our 2022 Senior
Fair!
Event Feature - Senior Fair in Ross
Township
We hosted our 2022 Senior Fair with
Rep.
Emily Kinkead at the Ross Township Community Center and it was a
great success with over 250 attendees! We were so grateful for all of
the vendors who came to share information, to the Ross
Township Community Center for being a wonderful host, the
Ross Township Police Department for helping direct traffic, Father
& Son Family Bakery and JT's
Bakery and Cafe for delicious refreshments, and Waltmire
Pharmacy for providing flu shots and Covid boosters to
attendees!
Legislative Update
$2
Million for ACTION Housing, Allegheny County Rehabilitation
Program
This program will help
approximately 100 low-income families in Allegheny County make
critical home repairs or accessibility accommodations.
On
Wednesday at the Goodwill of Southwestern PA I joined Senator Jay Costa and Representative
Sara Innamorato to announce the allocation of $2 million to ACTION
Housing to be delivered to low-income homeowners in Allegheny
County. The grant was awarded by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic
Development (DCED).
Eligible households can receive
funding by applying via ACTION Housing to make infrastructure repairs,
accessibility accommodations, or weatherize aging homes. Allegheny
County in particular has an aging housing stock, with half of homes in
Pittsburgh being constructed before 1940. This pilot program, soon to
be followed by Whole Home Repairs, is accessible to families at 80% of
AMI.
The Allegheny County Rehabilitation Program will do so
much more than fix a roof or repair a foundation. It will offer
residents a chance to stay in homes that they love and the communities
that they helped to build. It will stop properties from becoming
abandoned and blighted, which keeps our communities safer. I’m
incredibly proud to have worked with my colleagues to secure funding
for the program and can’t wait to see the results.
"This
grant will allot crucial dollars to households in the communities I'm
proud to represent,” said Representative Sara Innamorato.
“My neighbors will be able to implement structural safeguards
and related improvements to their homes, thus ensuring the safety and
well-being of their families."
"With our aging housing stock,
public health, wellbeing, and economic stability are affected every
day by leaking roofs, crumbling foundations, and dangerously
inaccessible homes,” said Sharpsburg Mayor Brittany Reno.
“This program will help our neighbors make critical repairs to
their homes and improve the quality of life here for all of
us.”
Kyle Webster of ACTION Housing announced that
applications for families to take advantage of this $2 million funding
are open at ACTIONHousing.org or via phone at 412-639-9416. Webster
also encouraged contractors interested and available to do housing
repairs to contact ACTION Housing. Contractors can call 412-281-2102 x
2016.
Good News
Sharpsburg Riverfront Development
Groundbreaking!
On Monday, I had the
opportunity to join Rep.
Sara Innamorato, Senator
Jay Costa, Mayor
Brittany Reno, Allegheny
County Executive Rich Fitzgerlad, developers, and other local
leaders for the groundbreaking of the new riverfront development along
the Allegheny River in Sharpsburg.
This project is going to
allow people in Sharpsburg, O'Hara, and the surrounding communities to
reconnect to the riverfront in ways that they haven't been able to in
a very long time. I'm very proud to have advocated for this project to
have received a $5
million Redevelopment Assistance Capital grant from the state, and
I can't wait to see the results of this work!
Q & A
with Cub Scout Pack 249
Thanks
to Cub Scout Pack 249 for inviting me to your den meeting on Wednesday
night to talk about my experience as a State Senator and to answer
your great questions!
In-Person
Ballot Return Available Downtown!
If you still
have a mail-in ballot and prefer to return it in person, you can
hand-deliver it at the County Office Building, 542 Forbes Avenue.
Voters can pull up next to the building, on the Ross Street side, and
leave their car while they return their ballot in their lobby!
Ballot Return Hours:
- Thursday-Friday, Nov. 3 & 4 |
8:30am-8pm
- Saturday, November 5 | 9am-5pm
- Sunday,
November 6 | 11am-7pm
- Monday, November 7 | 8:30am-8pm
- Tuesday, November 8, Election Day! | 7am-8pm
Check Your Polling Place for Location
Changes!
Some SD38 polling locations have
changed for Tuesday's General Election! Voters in impacted locations
will receive a mailing to advise them of the new location and the
former site will also be posted on Election Day if voters go to the
wrong site.
Verify your polling place here: Polling
Place Information (pa.gov).
Election
Day Voting Issues/Questions 1-866-OUR-VOTE
If
you have any questions or issues voting on or before Election Day,
call the nonpartisan Election Protection Hotline:
1-866-OUR-VOTE or 1-866-687-8683. This is a
nationwide number is staffed by civil rights attorneys and specially
trained legal assistants that follow up and make sure every vote is
counted.
Apply
for GirlGov!
GirlGov
is continuing to accept applications for grades 9-12 for their
2022-2023 GirlGov program! As a part of GirlGov, participants will
realize their power to create change both in the future and in the
here and now! Additionally, they build relationships with and learn to
work collectively with other teens from over 60 high schools across
the region who are equally passionate about making a difference in
their community and our world. There is no fee to apply or
participate!
Participants will have opportunities to:
- Attend two retreats (one in Allegheny County and one in
Harrisburg)
- Meet and hear from State and local elected
officials
- Create a collective campaign to address an issue
of injustice and advocate for gender and racial equity
-
Explore nonprofit, advocacy, and government career options and build
relationships with community leaders and accomplished
female-identifying leaders
- Discuss issues affecting women
and femmes with key decision makers and become (more) actively
involved
- Most of all — have fun!
Volunteer Adult Literacy Volunteers
Needed!
Join Literacy
Pittsburgh at an information session to learn about the
organization, who they serve, and how you can help as an adult
literacy volunteer! Help adults in our community learn English, brush
up on math & reading skills, or prepare for the GED test.
Free training & ongoing support is provided for all volunteer
tutors. No teaching experience necessary!
Literacy
Pittsburgh's next new volunteer training takes place on Thursday,
November 10, 6pm - 7pm West
View HUB. Learn more by visiting their website at Free
Literacy Programs in Pittsburgh PA | Literacy Pittsburgh.
Free
Flu Shots at West View Hub
Thursday,
November 10, 3-6pm
If you haven’t had your flu
shot this fall, the West
View Hub (435 Perry Highway) makes it easy! Free flu shots will be
offered from 3-6 pm on Thursday, November 10. No appointment
necessary.
Negley
Run Watershed Partner’s Day of Celebration and
Connection
Liberty Green Park, Larimer,
Saturday, November 12, 9am-2pm
Join Tree Pittsburgh,
Negley Run Watershed Task Force, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, and
Larimer Consensus Group on Saturday November 12th! They are hosting a
9 am walk to plant trees on Negley Run Blvd. and a year-end picnic and
River Roots Walk at noon. Sign up for tree planting at Volunteer
Tree Planting: Negley Run - Tree Pittsburgh. Hope to see you
there!
Applications Open for the 2022-2023
LIHEAP Season!
Applications for the Pennsylvania
Department of Human Services Low Income Home Energy
Assistance Program (LIHEAP) opened on Tuesday. LIHEAP
helps families living on low incomes pay their heating bills in the
form of a cash grant. Households in immediate danger of being without
heat can also qualify for crisis grants.
The cash grant
is a one-time payment sent directly to the utility company/fuel
provider to be credited on your bill. These grants range from $500 to
$1,500 based on household size, income and fuel type. Remember: This
is a grant and does not have to be repaid.
Eligibility:
- You must meet income guidelines (see graphic above)
- You don't have to be on public assistance.
- You don't
need to have an unpaid heating bill.
- You can rent or own
your home.
Learn more: dhs.pa.gov/LIHEAP
Apply at:
dhs.pa.gov/COMPASS
Pennie
Open Enrollment
Open enrollment for Pennie,
Pennsylvania’s health insurance marketplace, began November 1!
Pennie provides step-by-step help to get you the high-quality coverage
that is right for you and has Certified Assisters that can help you
find health and dental coverage that works for your needs and budget.
Request an in-person or virtual meeting at Schedule
an Appointment with an Assister (office.com).
All
assistance offered through Pennie is free!
As always, please
feel free to reach out with any questions you may have by phone at 412-364-0469
(Ross Office), 724-224-2131
(Harrison Office) or by email at [email protected].
My staff will return your call/email within 24 hours
(Monday-Friday).
Senator Lindsey Williams
