Count reveals homelessness declining
WEST CHESTER » A report compiled by the Chester County Department of Community Development and the Decade to Doorways partnership has found that 522 people were identified as experiencing homelessness in Chester
County in the early hours of Jan. 23, 2020.
This represents a decrease of 23 percent over five years in the number of people experiencing homelessness.
The Point in Time Count is a national effort mandated by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to determine the number of people experiencing homelessness. This includes individuals and families who are residing in emergency shelters and transitional living facilities, as well as unsheltered individuals on the street or in places not meant for sleeping.
Within Chester County, the Point in Time Count is one component of understanding homelessness, and is part of Decade to Doorways: The Community’s Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness in Chester County.
Of the 522 individuals experiencing homelessness onthe evening of January 23, 2020, 499 men, women, and children were housed in emergency or transitional shelters.
Of the 499 that were housed, 203 were veterans at the Coatesville Veterans Affairs Medical
Center campus. The street count found 23 individuals who were unsheltered (sleeping in cars, tents or places not meant for human habitation). These individuals were found in some of Chester County’s urban centers, including Phoenixville, Malvern, West Chester, Kennett Square, Oxford and the city of Coatesville.
Chester County’s approach to the Point in Time Count is both datadriven and strategic. The numbers provided to HUD are included in the Annual Homeless Assessment Report, which is presented to Congress every year.
“Chester County’s wellestablished Decade to Doorways initiative allows us to do more than support the federal ‘count’ of those who are experiencing homelessness,” said Pat Bokovitz, Director of Chester County’s Department of Community Development. “Decade to Doorways has created a strong community-wide network of services — partners, if you like — that helps us to prevent and end homelessness by shifting from just managing
homelessness, to diverting and quickly rehousing those who are experiencing homelessness.
“The teams who are out canvassing locations throughout Chester County on the designated Point in Time Count night have a background in case management and have experience working with people experiencing homelessness, so their observations and subsequent actions go beyond just collecting numbers.”
The annual Point in Time Count takes place every year in January. So 2020 numbers were counted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chester County’s Department of Community Development, through the Decade to Doorways network, has responded to the COVID-19 health crisis in different ways, to continue meeting the shelter needs of those experiencing homelessness during this challenging time.
DCD staff transitioned over 100 community members residing in emergency shelters and places not meant for human habitation into area hotels.
“Using hotels was deemed the best means of ensuring the health and safety of our most vulnerable community members,” said Pat Bokovitz.
“In addition to the immediate move from emergency shelters to hotels, the Decade to Doorways partnership pulled together a group of community agencies and housing providers to connect residents with housing resources and other services to meet their specific, and often complex needs,” added Bokovitz.
Since the start of the pandemic in mid-March, over 50 households have taken part in a housing program that has resulted in being placed in permanent housing or who are currently looking for a permanent home. To support this drive to place individuals and families in permanent housing, the Housing Authority of Chester County (HACC) has increased payment standards across Chester County, as well as sign-on bonuses for new and existing landlords to partner with HACC, and rental prevention funds.
“Homelessness is a community issue and will only end by a community response. COVID-19 has affected all areas and individuals in our community, especially those who are homeless or housing insecure,” noted Bokovitz. “We continue to seek landlords with available housing to reach out to the Housing Authority of Chester County to be part of this community response to prevent and end homelessness.”
Landlords can contact the Housing Authority of Chester County by calling 610-436-9200 or emailing rentrelief@haccnet.org.