Philly
Families
CAN

Philly Families CAN (PF-CAN) is a support services phoneline connecting Philadelphia County pregnant people, parents, and families to free and voluntary support programs. Our team works with families to find a home visiting program or community-based case management program based on where they live, support wanted, primary language, age of children, and other factors. We partner with over 20 home visiting agencies and companion programs that offer different evidence-based models of care. PF-CAN is not an emergency hotline or crisis line but is a connecter for home visiting, case management, and community resources.

Home visiting is voluntary support for pregnant people, new parents, and families with young children, provided by a support person who specializes in pregnancy and/or early childhood. Some of the different types of supports that can be offered are support for prenatal, maternal, and newborn health, childhood development and early learning, parenting and health education, mental health support, and lactation support. Home visiting can be done at the family’s home, virtually, or in another safe location in Philadelphia County that works best for the family. Most programs offer support for children 0-3 years old, with a some offering services for children up to 5 years old.

Philly Families CAN and the home visiting programs we partner with are completely free and available at the family’s choice.  PF-CAN itself does not provide home visits or direct services; it acts as a connecting point for families seeking home visiting services and community supports. A family can decline services at any point during the intake, referral, and enrollment process.

Family Empowerment Centers (FEC) are free places for families to get support. These centers help by meeting with families in their own home. Information about taking care of kids and free resources to help with food, rent, and household supplies are given to families. FEC can also help with referrals to after-school programs, doctors, free activities for kids, and can even help with connection to drug/alcohol or mental health programs.

Philly Families CAN offers this program at Gemma Services and Congreso de Latinos Unidos.

• A referral to a home visiting program
• A referral to a Family Empowerment Center
• Resource navigation: links to community resources via email for the family to reach out on their own
• A connection to the Concrete Goods Fund via a provider referral

Please note that each program has different eligibility requirements to enroll. An Intake Coordinator will help navigate the options to find the programs that a family is eligible for and fits the family’s needs.

• ParentChild+
• National Nurse-Led Care Consortium Nurse-Family Partnership
• Mable Morris Parents as Teachers
• Health Federation of Philadelphia Early Head Start
• Carson Valley Parents as Teachers
• School District of Philadelphia ELECT
• HopePHL Parents as Teachers
• Maternity Care Coalition Early Head Start
• Maternity Care Coalition Healthy Families America
• Maternity Care Coalition MOMobile Classic
• Maternity Care Coalition MOMobile Healthy Start
• Division of Maternal, Child and Family Health MOM Parents as Teachers
• Division of Maternal, Child and Family Health Healthy Start
• Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual and disAbility Services Early Intervention
• Oxford Circle Christian Community Development Association Parents as Teachers
• Health Promotion Council Technology Assisted Children’s Home Program
• Health Promotion Council SafeCare Augmented for Family Empowerment (SAFE)
• Kutest Kids Parents as Teachers
• PHMC Child First
• Gemma Services Family Support Services
• Gemma FEC
• Congreso FEC

There are a few ways an individual or family can get connected to services through Philly Families CAN. The best way is to fill out the online referral form. Alternatively, you can call us at 215-685-4701 to get started.

The best way to make a referral is by submitting a webform. Click on “Self referral” and fill out the form. It is important to provide your contact information so our team can get in touch with you. You can also call 215-685-4701.

We know that babies and children don’t come with instruction manuals and we’re here to help connect you to non-judgmental support.  It can be tricky to navigate the home visiting options and decide which program is best. Philly Families CAN is connected to a wide network of home visiting programs in Philadelphia County, and we will help you find the right program for you and your family.

A Philly Families CAN Intake Coordinator will attempt to call a family within five business days of receiving a referral. The timing may be delayed due to capacity and events/holidays. If the Intake Coordinator makes three attempts to contact you with no response, they will close out the referral. If you decide to get connected later, you can fill out another referral form.

The best way to make a referral is by submitting a webform.  Select “Provider referral” and fill out the information for the referrer and the family being referred. It is important to include your contact information so we can provide you with an update after closing out a referral.

When filling out the webform, please input the parent or guardian information only. Household level information will be collected during the intake call. Please only submit one referral form per family.

An Intake Coordinator will reach out to the provider via email after the individual/family has received a referral. The Coordinator will also reach out via email if the family was unresponsive or rejected services. This can take a few weeks, as a Coordinator will only be able to give the update after discussing options with the family or after making at least three call attempts.

Yes, our Intake Coordinators use translation services to connect with families who do not speak or are not fluent in English. A family or provider can indicate the language spoken on the referral form. Many of our home visiting partners use translation services or have staff who speak languages other than English.

You can find our English and Spanish materials on our “For Providers” webpage on PhillyLovesFamilies.com under “Printable Flyers”. You can also request physical copies of the flyers and palm cards to be mailed to your site here.

The Concrete Goods Fund is an emergency assistance fund through Philly Families CAN that allows referring providers to apply for funds on behalf of a family they work with to cover last-resort concrete needs such as rent arrears, essential furniture, like beds, and essential appliances, like stoves. This fund is for those who have exhausted all other options and resources, who still need a little extra assistance.

Each family/household can be referred up to 2 times per year for a total of $2500 per fiscal year (July-July). For example, if a family requests $2500 worth of concrete goods in September, they will not be eligible for the Concrete Goods Fund until the new fiscal year in July, but if the family only requested $1000 worth of goods, they would be able to make another request for up to $1500 for their concrete needs through another provider referral.

These are the main categories the Concrete Goods Fund can assist families with:

• Rent arrears
• Mortgage arrears
• Utility deposits/arrears  
• Appliances
  • Ex. Refrigerator, stove, A/C window unit, washer/dryer
• Clothing
• Education
  • Ex. School supplies, laptop/tablet, school uniforms
• Pest control
• Essential furniture items
  • Ex. Beds, dining table with chairs, dresser

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Eligibility criteria include:

• Philadelphia County resident
• Pregnant person or a family with a child under the age of 18 living in the home
• Demonstrated need for the funds

Requests through the Concrete Goods Fund can only be started through a provider referral. Since we are relying on provider discretion, providers should ensure that the fund is used as a last resort option for families in need. When submitting a Concrete Goods Fund request, details about other resources the family has tried accessing will need to be noted. Also, please indicate WHAT the specific needs are and WHY those are needed. Providing as much detail as possible assists our team in supporting families in a timely manner. Applications without the specific request listed will be closed out. Select all categories of need under one referral if there is more than one need at the time of application submission. We cannot guarantee every request or application will be approved.

No. A family does not need to be connected to home visiting to access the Concrete Goods Fund. The Concrete Goods Fund is provided as a no-strings attached resource as part of our expansion to become a general resource line for families.

If a family gets connected to a home visiting program, depending on which program is chosen, the family or client may be redirected from our Concrete Goods Fund to a longer-term support option provided by the FAIR Project and screened by a home visitor or home visiting agency.

The FAIR Project is a partnership to provide civil legal aid services and concrete needs support to families receiving home visiting services in Philadelphia. There are partnerships with over a dozen evidence-based home visiting programs, serving over 2100 families through 2024.