$2.8M Awarded To Liberty House in Phoenixville: Chesco Commissioners

PHOENIXVILLE— The Liberty House development in Phoenixville was awarded $2.8 million for capital improvements set to begin in 2024.

Chester County commissioners recently approved the contract for Pennrose properties to receive $1.5 million from a HOME Investment Partners program, $940K from a community block grant, and $375 from health choices reinvestment funds.

Renovating Liberty House is crucial to addressing the affordable housing crisis facing individuals with mental illness, Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell, and Michelle Kichline said in a joint statement.

“It’s a long-overdue project that will keep those who live there safe and warm,” the commissioner said.

The funding will replace the property’s outdated mechanical systems, inefficient windows, the roof, and other exterior problems, and provide ADA-accessible updates in a few of the units

Significant upgrades will also be made to the common areas, including new energy-efficient appliances for the community kitchen, which provides two meals each day to residents, Dolores Colligan, director of Chester County’s Department of Community Development, said.

Liberty House is located on part of the old Valley Forge General Hospital campus, which was sold to Valley Forge Christian College in 1976. Liberty House opened in 1996 to provide housing for mentally ill.