County earns praise from HUD for boost in stable housing options

In this November 2022 photo the County Commissioners and staff from the County’s Department of Community Development joined developer Hankin Group at the ground breaking of Phoenixville Commons, a 50-unit affordable senior housing project. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently lauded Chester County’s House America efforts to rehouse individuals experiencing homelessness...

Good Samaritan and Bridge of Hope complete merger

Two established non-profits that serve the homeless population of Chester and Lancaster Counties – Good Samaritan Shelter and Bridge of Hope Lancaster & Chester Counties – announce the official merger that uniquely positions the organizations to provide a full range of services to address homelessness. The new organization has been re-named Good Samaritan Services to reflect the progressive...

Four events to fight homelessness

WEST CHESTER — Chester County’s Decade to Doorways, the community-wide plan to prevent and end homelessness in the county, will host four free community events in West Chester, Coatesville, Kennett Square, and Phoenixville from November 13 to 16 as part of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. The events include free screenings of popular movies with a central theme of poverty and homelessness,...

Free screening of ‘Time out of Mind’ March 9

PHOENIXVILLE — Representatives from Chester County’s Decade to Doorways and the Phoenixville Community Health Foundation have scheduled a free screening of “Time Out of Mind”, a film starring Richard Gere that depicts one man’s journey through homelessness. The screening, held at the Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge Street in Phoenixville, is scheduled for Wednesday evening, March 9, 2016, at...

Volunteers sought to count county’s homeless

WEST CHESTER — Chester County’s Department of Community Development (DCD) is seeking volunteers to canvass areas throughout the county to determine levels of homelessness. The county’s annual Point-In-Time Count will take place on the night of January 27, 2016, into the early hours of January 28, 2016. Two time frames are available for volunteers – from 10:00 p.m. to midnight on Jan. 27 and...

Icy freeze next, as snow moves out

Roads still messy, many public offices closed; low temps big worry in next 24 hours By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times As Chester County digs out from six to eight inches of snow, the concerns now move from clearly icy local roadways and keeping warm — as the National Weather Service is predicting temperatures tonight in the low single digits. While state and local road crews working to clear roads...

New program connects people with homeless shelters

ConnectPoints lists contact numbers for those seeking shelters in Chester County ConnectPoints works with county funded agencies to help people find housing services to fit their needs. WEST CHESTER – ConnectPoints, Chester County’s new Homeless Coordinated Assessment System will be operational on Monday, July 1. ConnectPoints will list contact information for emergency shelter or housing services...