The latest news + events
Announcements
OHS intake center closing early, Friday, May 22; help still available
In observance of the Memorial Day holiday, Appletree Family Center, 1430 Cherry St., will close at 1 p.m. today, Friday, May 22, 2026.
Roosevelt Darby Center, 804 N. Broad St., will remain open until 5 p.m., however, to help anyone needing shelter placement or related services.
Until both sites reopen at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, May 26, anyone needing shelter placement may visit an after-hours intake center.
If you see someone living or sleeping outdoors, call the City’s Homeless Street Outreach Hotline, (215) 232-1984.
More Information on Smiles at Rittenhouse Square Dental Clinic
The Health Department is working to contact patients of the now-closed Smiles at Rittenhouse Square dental clinic (255 South 17th Street, Suite #2507) to encourage them to seek out testing for certain bloodborne pathogens. Please be aware that patients of Rittenhouse Smiles (255 South 17th Street, Suite #2306) are not affected by this situation, do not need to seek out testing, and no evidence of unsafe or unsanitary practices has been found at that clinic.
Notice of public hearing on June 1, 2026 at 10 a.m.
Notice is hereby given that the City of Philadelphia will hold a public hearing on June 1, 2026 at 10 a.m. in the Municipal Services Building. For more information, visit the City Treasurer’s Office’s website.
Philadelphia Peacekeepers Institute – Cohort 2 Announcement
The Institute
The Office of Public Safety in partnership with The Roca Impact Institute is launching Cohort 2 of the Philadelphia Peacekeepers Institute, an intensive 8-week professional development training program for community violence intervention (CVI) professionals working in the field.
The Peacekeeper’s Institute is the first in the nation built around Roca’s Rewire CBT, a cognitive behavioral intervention designed to equip frontline staff to help high-risk individuals learn and practice the lifesaving skills they need to heal from trauma and make healthier choices.
The 8-week curriculum was built to reflect the real needs of Philadelphia’s CVI field practitioners. Participants will engage in rigorous learning that will expose them to best practices, equip them with concrete tools for the day-to-day work, help them understand and manage trauma, and create a professional network and supportive community within Philadelphia’s CVI ecosystem.
Curriculum Topics
- Rewire CBT and Trauma Responsive Strategies
- Professional Standards of Practice for CVI
- Outreach, Engagement, & Relationships
- How to be an Effective Case Manager and Advocate
- Supervision and Support
- How to Tell Your Story
- Stop the Bleed + Narcan Training
- History of CVI in Philadelphia
Cohort 2 Details
Dates: July 28th – September 15, 2026
Every Tuesday, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Key Partners
- Host: City of Philadelphia Office of Public Safety (OPS)
- Implementation & Curriculum Partner: Roca Impact Institute
- Evaluation Partner: Black and Brown Collective
Cohort 2 Eligibility
In Cohort 2, the Philadelphia’s Peacekeepers Institute will focus on organizations that implement evidence-informed, community-based strategies to prevent and reduce firearm violence through structured outreach, violence intervention, case management, supportive services, and partnerships with institutions such as hospitals, schools, local governments, and community service providers.
This includes both community-based and hospital-based violence intervention programs.
The Institute is designed specifically to support the learning of CVI professionals working in the field, directly with high-risk individuals. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Outreach workers
- Case managers
- Field supervisors
- HVIP case workers
All interested organizations are encouraged to attend a virtual info session and submit an interest form.
Virtual Info Sessions:
Register Here: bit.ly/peacekeepersinstitute
- Wednesday, May 20th (12PM)
- Wednesday, May 27th (12PM)
- Wednesday, June 3rd (12PM)
Interest Form:
Submit Here: bit.ly/ppicohort2interest
- June 5th , 2026 (5PM) – Deadline to Submit
Timeline for Next Steps:
- June 15th – Eligible Organizations Will be Notified
- June 26th – Deadline for Eligible Organizations to Nominate Staff Members
- July 10th – Deadline for Nominated Staff Members to Confirm their Participation
- July 28th – Cohort 2 Begins
Organizations not eligible for Cohort 2 will receive notification of their status by June 19th.