Philadelphia Location Resources

On and off campus resources for students that are enrolled at the WCU Philadelphia location.

On Campus

Student Success Center

The Student Success Center at the WCU Philadelphia Location celebrates and supports critical literacy and professional development through in-person and online tutoring, workshops, classroom presentations, and faculty support.

Students can schedule an appointment to get help in the following areas:

  • Writing or research (ideas, strategies, strengths, and areas for improvement)
    • Organize a paper (Outlining, question-storming, mapping, etc.)
    • Discuss a draft of a class assignment
    • Familiarize yourself with APA Style (Formatting, citing, abstract, etc.)
    • Find journal articles and other sources using Google Scholar, Library Services, etc.
    • Learn a writing concept
  • Career development
    • Look over career documents (resume, cover letter, CV)
    • Conduct a mock interview
    • Access Handshake (Career Network)

For more information, email Ben Morgan or call 610-436-3714.

Philadelphia Resource Pantry Coming Fall 2022

The Philadelphia Resource Pantry will provide shelf-stable food to West Chester University Students in the Fall of 2022. Through an online ordering system, students can place an order for food and pick up their pre-packed bags from campus and take home to use with their families. The student need resource survey conducted on the Philadelphia location showed the majority of the students are over the age of 25, which presents unique challenges to students working toward their degree.

Off Campus

Benephilly

Benephilly offers free, one-on-one help to enroll Philadelphia residents in public benefit programs. A BenePhilly counselor can fill out public benefit applications with you and follow up on the status of your applications. The program assists you in:

  • Completing public benefit applications
  • Organizing key documents for applications
  • Tracking your applications’ statuses

BenePhilly counselors guide you through the process. They can:

  • Tell you about different benefit programs
  • See if you are eligible for programs
  • Help you fill out your applications

Some of the benefits we help with include:

  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
  • Property Tax/Rent Rebate (PT/RR)
  • Medicaid (MA)
  • Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
  • Homestead Exemption
  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
  • Social Security Disability (SSDI)

Find a Benephilly location and learn on their website. For more information, email benephilly@phila.gov or call (844) 848-4376.

FREE Financial Counseling

Financial Empowerment Centers (FEC) educate, empower, and protect people with low incomes. Counselors are employees of Clarifi, the region's leader in financial counseling. They are trained to help clients shift from debt management to saving.

Financial counselors provide sessions on the following financial topics:

  • Money management and budgeting
  • Banking and basic financial transactions
  • Credit reports
  • Using credit wisely
  • Consumer protection and debt collection
  • Student loans
  • Bankruptcy
  • Negotiation
  • Investments and future planning
  • Homeownership
  • Insurance and benefits

For your first session, you may be asked to bring:

  • Paystubs (at least two months’ worth, if possible)
  • Record of extra income
  • Bills
  • Letters from creditors

Anyone who wants free financial counseling can make an appointment by calling (855) FIN-PHIL. Appointments remain virtual due to COVID-19 until further notice. Counseling sessions are available in English and Spanish. Support in other languages may be available upon request.

Water Bill Assistance

Their mission is to provide access to clean, safe water to all residents of Philadelphia. If you’re having problems paying your water bill, they have programs that may help you.

Assistance programs are designed to help Philadelphia Water Department customers who are:

  • Low income
  • Seniors
  • Having a special hardship that makes it difficult to pay their water bills

You can plan out your application using the application checklist or the sample application . Once you are ready to apply, you can find an online application or request a paper copy here.