Kensington stakeholders react to Opioid Settlement Fund announcement
City invests in Kensington
“Since the City’s January press conference, the community’s confusion and skepticism over where the $7.5 million is going has been growing,” Kensington Voice reported on March 22. Many of those concerns were aired during a January 18 Kensington Independent Civic Association meeting, the Voice reported.
“It’s not focused on the drug-addicted, the housing situation, [or] the trash all over the place,” the Voice quoted former state representative Angel Cruz saying at the meeting. “We’re gonna get neglected, we’re gonna get short-handed if we don’t sit and be part of voicing how the money is spent in our community.”
But as the Voice reported in the same article, the City plans to spend the nearly $23 million of the first Opioid Settlement funds on seven initiatives spanning overdose prevention and treatment, housing, and healthy neighborhoods:
Kensington Wellness Corridors Investments ($7.5 million)
Overdose Prevention & Community Healing Fund ($3.5 million per year)
Citywide outreach and engagement ($2.75 million)
Overdose response ($1.25 million)
Treatment initiatives ($4 million)
Housing for people experiencing homelessness ($3.7 million)
Alternatives to incarceration ($250,000)
“These investments have been informed and guided by the insight and collaboration generously offered by community leaders,” Mayor Jim Kenney said in announcing the funding at McPherson Square Library in Kensington.
“The overdose crisis has wrought incalculable harm on communities across the United States, and the grief and community trauma have compounded for years in Philadelphia as well – especially in Kensington and the surrounding neighborhoods. In the face of this evolving crisis, we are committed to prevention, treatment, and healing and achieving long-term change. We believe this plan can immediately impact lives and produce outcomes that residents can see and feel – in their parks, their schools and their homes.”
For the $7.5 million marked specifically for the Kensington neighborhood, the City said its investments would be guided by the community-driven planning process as outlined at kensingtonplan.org.
Funds are marked for Kensington parks, schools and programs to help residents stay in their homes
A complicated launch
As the settlement funds were announced, NKCDC and Impact Services rushed the launch of this website to make sure everyone felt invited to participate in a comprehensive planning process, with the Kensington community in the center.
Because of the timing, many people assumed the website and planning process were also a city government initiative, or were funded by the City of Philadelphia. They are not.
“The City announced today that $7.5 million will be invested in a Kensington Health & Wellness Corridors master planning effort being led by New Kensington Community Development Corporation and Impact Services,” the city press release announced, taking the title from a collaborative plan presented by NKCDC and Impact.
But the $7.5 million in settlement funds are actually marked for Kensington parks, schools and programs for home repair, foreclosure prevention, and rental assistance that can help residents stay in their homes. Details are still being worked out by city government on how those funds will be spent. However, the city has pledged to support the community’s priorities as expressed through this planning process.
Investments will be guided by the community-driven planning process described at kensingtonplan.org
Next steps
In the coming weeks, support groups for parks and schools will be notified that City funding is available for their park or school. Each group will figure out how to create an inclusive, collaborative process to get broad neighborhood input for how the funds will be spent.
Public meetings will be held to rally community members and to start planning. Neighbors who live near or are involved with those parks and schools are encouraged to attend the public meetings when they are announced. We will do our best to make sure everyone is notified of the planning meetings in a timely fashion!