Renters and homeowners who were financially impacted by the economic slowdown related to the coronavirus pandemic will be able to access applications for rent and mortgage relief beginning Monday, June 29. At that time, applications will be accessible from a red banner on the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency’s website at www.PHFA.org . Homeowners who became unemployed after March 1 or who suffered at least a 30 percent reduction in annual income due to reduced work hours and wages related to COVID-19 may be eligible for financial assistance to help with missed mortgage payments. To qualify for the Pandemic Mortgage Assistance Program, the applicant must be an owner-occupant of their residence, the dwelling must consist of one or two separate units, the mortgage must be at least 30 days delinquent, and the applicant-homeowner’s annual household income must not exceed the Area Median Income for their county of residence adjusted for the number of people in their home. For renters to be eligible for financial assistance under the CARES Rent Relief Program, they will need to document at least a 30 percent reduction in annual income since March 1 related to COVID-19, or they must have become unemployed after March 1. If unemployed, they must have filed for Unemployment Compensation. Their household income cannot exceed the Area Median Income for their county of residence adjusted for the number of people in their home. For more information Read more
Many Pennsylvanians are facing hardships related to COVID-19, including the possibility of losing their home or being evicted from their apartment due to financial issues. Pa. state Reps. Maureen Madden and Mike Schlossberg are addressing this issue with a Tenant Eviction Mitigation bill package. Read more
Applications are expected to be available June 30 for a new program aimed at providing critical funding to local businesses hurt by the coronavirus. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Maureen Madden participated in the grand opening of Pocono Organics, an organic farm, food market, and cafe bringing an educational and nutritional experience to Monroe County. Read more
HARRISBURG, June 18 – State Reps. Maureen Madden, D-Monroe, Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Luzerne, and Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, held a “ PA Needs a Just Recovery” Zoom press event to discuss the steps the Pennsylvania General Assembly needs to take to create a just recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and to heed the call for racial justice demanded by Pennsylvanians. A Just Recovery for all Pennsylvanians includes: Racial justice and police reforms. Making sure that Pennsylvanians returning to work have the resources they need to protect themselves from COVID-19. Instituting additional small business stimulus packages. Making sure schools and students have the resources, including internet access, to facilitate proper socially distant learning. Working towards providing quality housing for every Pennsylvanian. Instituting tax fairness initiatives. Continuing to ensure that all Pennsylvanians have access to the vote so their voices can be heard. Madden said House Democrats are determined to work together, not just to protect and reward frontline workers during this crisis, but to ensure that everyone -- with no exceptions -- can secure fair pay, a safe workplace and to be able to stay in their homes. “Our constituents are undergoing record levels of unemployment and hourly work reductions, and they now have to face the grueling reality of paying rent,” Read more
HARRISBURG, June 15 – State Reps. Maureen Madden, D-Monroe, and Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, plan on introducing legislation aimed at helping renters stay in their homes by establishing a Tenant Eviction Mitigation bill package . Both lawmakers said among the hardships Pennsylvanians are facing across the state due to COVID-19, is the fear of possibly losing their home. It’s one of the most prominent fears, and for this reason they will introduce a bill package to help renters. “We are on the brink of a housing crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic and we need to do everything we can to keep people in their homes,” Madden said. “Our constituents are undergoing record levels of unemployment and hourly work reductions, and they now have to face the grueling reality of paying rent. While we work to protect our essential workers and our most at-risk people, it is our responsibility to ensure they are safe in their homes.” “In the aftermath of the Great Recession, several counties in PA—including Lehigh County, took steps to create a mortgage mitigation program,” Schlossberg said. “Courts took steps to protect endangered homeowners and helped to keep people in their homes. This legislation takes a similar approach to protect tenants and also helps landlords work toward a process for securing past-due rents. These are terribly difficult times and the more we can do help landlords and tenants navigate Read more
MONROE, May 21 – State Rep. Maureen Madden, D-Monroe, is diligently working to help keep food banks in the 115 th legislative district stocked during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, Gov. Tom Wolf announced two food pantries in Madden’s district were awarded a total of $225,322 in Food Recovery Infrastructure Grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Madden announced the following grant awards: $188,396 – Stroudsburg Wesleyan Church $36,926 – Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry at East Stroudsburg’s United Methodist Church. “The demand for food assistance is rising at an extraordinary rate because of the COVID-19 crisis, and these grants will go a long way in helping families put food on the table at a time when they are struggling to make ends meet,” Madden said. “I am continuing to work at many food bank distribution pantries in my district, and we have already served hundreds of families who have food shortages.” Madden said the Wolf administration is providing the food recovery infrastructure grants to keep food banks stocked and to prevent farm losses. The program encourage partnerships between nonprofit organizations such as food banks and farms, processors and cooperatives that continue to experience challenges within the food supply chain as the result of COVID-19 emergency. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Maureen Madden sits down with Rep. Steve Samuelson to discuss the importance of redistricting reform in Pennsylvania and highlight legislation aimed at ending gerrymandering. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Maureen Madden discusses her opposition to Senate Bill 613, saying that we must follow the guidance of our medical experts and not rush to re-open businesses and our economy. Read more
MONROE, APRIL 1 – State Rep. Maureen Madden, D-Monroe, and other regional lawmakers wrote a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf asking him to remove short-term rentals, such as Airbnb’s, from the list of essential businesses that may remain open during the COVID-19 outbreak. In response, Wolf has now deemed short-term rentals as non-essential businesses that must cease operating while the statewide Stay-at-Home order is in place. “Closing short-term rentals in my district is for the safety of everyone because the number of COVID-19 cases is exploding and I have a real concern about this,” Madden said. Madden said certain rental companies had been advertising to New York and New Jersey residents to come to the Poconos for a coronavirus-free environment. “They are coming here, they’re spreading more germs and they are taking more germs back with them,” Madden said. At today’s news briefing, Wolf said he’s ordering short-term rentals to close and thanked both Democratic and Republican state representatives and senators for alerting him to the public health and safety concerns. “There is nothing essential to short-term rentals in the Poconos, so I’m glad to see the governor is shutting them down,” she said. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, there are 278 positive COVID-19 cases in Monroe County and that number grows every day. In addition, Madden said because of the Read more
In Pennsylvania, everyone counts and April 1 is National Census Day! If you haven’t already, don't forget to fill out your census form. Our population count determines our voice in government and how much federal funding we’ll receive for education, health care, transportation and more. Whether you respond online, mail or by phone , participate and help shape PA’s future. Your responses are anonymous and protected by law. To learn more, visit pa.gov/census #PAcounts #2020Census Read more
In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic affecting Pennsylvania, we wanted to provide you with the following resources and information to help you and your family in the days ahead. Please note that this webpage will be updated as needed with additional information and resources. State Services and Resources The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has created a COVID-19 guide to assist everyone. It includes information on social distancing, mental health resources, unemployment, food assistance, changes from PennDOT and resources for small business: https://www.pa.gov/guides/responding-to-covid-19/ For individuals : https://www.pa.gov/guides/responding-to-covid-19/#ForIndividuals For families : https://www.pa.gov/guides/responding-to-covid-19/#ForFamilies For businesses : https://dced.pa.gov/resources COVID Support for PA Businesses : The following provides information and and links to federal, state, local and private resources. https://www.pahouse.com/News/?id=113388 **Self-employed, independent contractors, gig economy workers: Apply here for federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits .** https://www.pa.gov/guides/responding-to-covid-19/#ForBusinessesUtilities Information from the PA Dept. of Labor and Industry on the federal CARES Act: https://www.uc.pa.gov/COVID-19/CARES-Act/Pages/default.aspx The following link provides you with Read more
The PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) has established a new resource account where businesses and staff can submit questions on exemptions regarding the closure of physical locations for non-life-sustaining businesses in the Commonwealth. Businesses seeking exemptions from closure: Please contact ra-dcexemptions@pa.gov . Other questions about closures can be directed to ra-dcedcs@pa.gov . For more COVID-19 business information, DCED has set up a web site that continually will be updated as information becomes available: https://dced.pa.gov/resources . Read more
MONROE, March 12 – State Rep. Maureen Madden D-Monroe, is alerting residents that her district offices will close to the public and operations will be by phone, mail and email only starting Friday, March 13 to reduce the potential spread of COVID-19 and for the safety of the public. Madden said constituents can email her at RepMadden@pahouse.net . “My office will be closed starting tomorrow and we will reassess the situation as warranted,” Madden said. “We have access to voicemail, and we will be responding to messages and email.” Madden’s phone numbers are: (570) 420-2850 in the Stroudsburg Office. (570) 894-7905 in the Tobyhanna Office. Residents are also advised to take precautions to protect themselves from COVID-19, such as the following: Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (time to sing Happy Birthday song twice). Cover coughs or sneezes with your elbow or use a tissue. Do not use your hands . Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not readily available. Clean surfaces frequently, including countertops, light switches, cell phones, remotes, door handles, stair rails and other frequently touched items. Avoid touching your hands to your face, eyes, nose and mouth. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Clean and disinfect surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or Read more
CRESCO, March 11 – State Rep. Maureen Madden, D-Monroe, said the Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church has been awarded a $74,482 safety and security grant to establish security enhancements in the facility. “Violence is becoming all too familiar to us and this funding is a great mechanism to help prevent cases of violence targeting faith-based institutions and other situations that could harm members of our community,” Madden said. The grants, administered by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, are for organizations that serve communities that fit into one of six hate crime categories as defined by the FBI: race/ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and gender and gender identity. Madden said faith-based institutions and nonprofits could use the money for a variety of security planning, equipment and technology needs, including surveillance cameras, emergency communications equipment, electronic locksets, threat assessments and building upgrades. The Nonprofit Security Grant Program was established by Act 83 of 2019 and has made $5 million available to faith-based institutions and nonprofits that serve individuals, groups or institutions and have been deemed vulnerable to hate crimes across Pennsylvania. Read more
MONROE, March 9 - State Rep. Maureen Madden, D-Monroe, said today that a $248,664 Workforce Development grant was awarded to the Pocono Counties Workforce Development Board to fund summer internship jobs. “Internships are a proven way to gain relevant knowledge, skills and experience while establishing important connections in the job field,” Madden said. “Young workers from my area will have the opportunity to get hands-on experience and get paid while they work.” The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development awarded more than $4.7 million to local workforce development boards for the State/Local Internship Program (SLIP) to provide nearly 1,500 summer internships across Pennsylvania. The 2020 SLIP will operate for an eight-week period between May 1 and Aug. 28. The program will offer wages at a minimum of $10.35 an hour for young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 years. For more information, those interested can visit http://www.pcwia.org/ . Read more
STROUDSBURG, March 5 – State Rep. Maureen Madden, D-Monroe, today announced that the Monroe County Historical Association has been selected to receive $4,000 in grant funding from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. “I am very appreciative of this funding so the society can continue to preserve Monroe County’s history and to promote our community investments,” Madden said. Cultural and Historical Support Program grants provide general operating support to Pennsylvania museums and official county historical societies that are not directly supported by other state agency operating support programs. An eligible museum must have an annual operating budget exceeding $100,000 and at least one full-time professional staff person. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is the official history agency of the commonwealth. Read more
EAST STROUDSBURG, Feb. 26 – State Rep. Maureen Madden, D-Monroe, said East Stroudsburg School District will receive $449,969, Pocono Mountain School District will get $426,240 and Stroudsburg School District will receive $45,000 in school safety and security grant funds for a total of $921,209. Madden brings home $921K to three school districts in region EAST STROUDSBURG, Feb. 26 – State Rep. Maureen Madden, D-Monroe, said East Stroudsburg School District will receive $449,969, Pocono Mountain School District will get $426,240 and Stroudsburg School District will receive $45,000 in school safety and security grant funds for a total of $921,209. The school safety grant program was made available for school districts to address safety and security issues. "Our schools must be safe places to learn and where students can feel comfortable and supported, so these grants are designed to meet those needs and challenges within the school districts,” Madden said. Madden said Pocono Mountain school plans to hire a trauma informed project coordinator and behavioral and health sciences specialists. East Stroudsburg Area School plans to purchase security cameras, bus cameras, and conduct other professional development projects for school safety. The grants are made available from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to support community violence prevention/reduction in school districts. Read more
Read Rep. Maureen Madden's 2020 winter newsletter Read more
On this episode of Monroe Matters, Pa. state Rep. Maureen Madden reacts to Gov. Tom Wolf's 2020-21 state budget proposal and discusses the role that this year's census and redistricting reform plays in bringing dollars and resources home to Monroe County. Read more
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354 Memorial Blvd, Room 4Tobyhanna, PA 18466-7786
P*: (570) 894-7905
F*: (570) 894-7906
325 Main CapitolPO Box 202115Harrisburg, PA 17120-2115
P*: (717) 787-5811
F*: (717) 705-1920