TRUSTED VENUE NETWORK
We use the term “Trusted Venue” to refer to community sites in West Philadelphia that residents already trust and turn to for support. Together for West Philadelphia deeply values our close partnership with the following Trusted Venues, and this network is a fundamental part of our coalition and everything we do.
Alain Locke School
Calvary Baptist Church
Chosen 300 Ministries
Christian Stronghold Church
Community of Compassion CDC
ECS St. Barnabas Community Resource Center
Mount Carmel Baptist Church
Pleasant Grove Baptist Church
Samuel Gompers School
Victory Christian Center
THE HELPING HUBS PROGRAM
From May 2020 - May 2022, TfWP ran the Helping Hubs program to connect West Philadelphia residents to resources that met their social health related needs. The initiative emerged in response to the fact that while many resources exist in West Philadelphia, residents are often unaware of the resources or unable to access them.
Through the Helping Hubs program, “Community Connectors” worked with residents referred to the program through Trusted Venues. Community Connectors were volunteers (primarily graduate students studying health professions at West Philadelphia institutions) who we trained to identify existing resources and interact with community residents from a place of compassion and cultural humility. Connectors heard directly from residents about the barriers they faced and provided encouragement while helping them succeed in meeting their goals.