Nearly every neighborhood in Philadelphia has been affected by multi-day rebellions stemming from outrage over institutional racism and police brutality.

Kensington Voice editors talked with veterans in January — before COVID-19 impacts — about what kinds of improvements needed to be made to veterans’ services across the board.

While reporting on veterans in Kensington over the last few months, we found resources available to veterans across the city. From the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefit entitlement assistance to city clothing drives to pro bono legal services for veterans, here is what we found. You can also learn how to start the referral process for some of these resources here.

Three days every week, the veterans of Hancock Manor gather for coffee around a table in the house’s main space, which used to be the building’s gymnasium when it was still the YMCA.

It’s a makeshift arrangement; there’s usually a coffee carafe or pot, mismatched paper cups, and sweetener packets — whatever they can find. At the center of the table is an empty coffee can, where the vets drop dollars or change to buy more supplies.

This month’s issue was inspired by artist, veteran, and Kensington resident John Zerbe, who is running art workshops for veterans throughout the neighborhood. While working alongside other veterans, he saw that many of them wanted to share their stories and connect with others. More importantly, he suggested that Kensington Voice report on how exactly to access the VA benefits that veterans are entitled to. We decided to start asking around and discovered that other veterans were wondering the same thing.

The Community Connectors Program and Institute is a part of LISC Philadelphia’s community development efforts to engage neighborhood residents. LISC, a national community development organization, has offices across the country. LISC Philadelphia provides funding and technical assistance to the program, which is made up of six community-based organizations: