8 Percent Rise In Homelessness From 2022 to 2023: Report

WEST CHESTER, PA — A total of 436 people were homeless on Jan. 25 in Chester County, amounting to an eight percent increase over the number of homeless people on Jan. 25 2022 when 402 people were homeless.

The numbers were provided in a Point-In-Time report issued by the Chester County Department of Community Development this week.

The count is a manual census of people experiencing sheltered and unsheltered homelessness on one night in January.

County officials said the rise in Chester County coincides with increases in many cities and communities across the United States.

“There are many factors that impact homelessness, and Chester County is not immune to them," Chester County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell, and Michelle Kichline said in a joint statement.

The commissioners said the county is committed to assisting the homeless population in Chester County through a partnership with House America and by working with municipalities, developers, nonprofits, and state and federal governments to re-house those experiencing homelessness and create more affordable housing options.

Help available for the homeless

The commissioners said that the county has dedicated American Rescue Plan Act money and other funds to building 1,000 new affordable housing units over the next 10 years.

By the end of 2023, a total of 306 new affordable housing is expected to be available.

Other data from 2023 showed that 25 percent of those experiencing homelessness in Chester County were children.

Of the 436 people counted, 29 lived in or slept in places not meant for human habitation.

Dolores Colligan, director of community development, said the department and the Chester County Partnership to End Homelessness work diligently to assist anyone experiencing homelessness.

• The Emergency Utility and Rental program has helped more than 6,000 households since 2021.
• The Eviction Prevention Case Resolution program has seen a significant increase in cases involving landlords and tenants resolved through the Eviction Prevention Court, created in 2020.

"We encourage anyone to contact our office if they are facing a housing crisis," Colligan said.

According to the U.S. Census American Community Survey, the median rent in Chester County has increased by 35 percent over the last seven years.

In addition to rising rental costs, pandemic-era aid programs that helped keep people housed are winding down or have ended.

Rob Henry, administrator of the Chester County Partnership to End Homelessness, said recent increases in rental costs have put rentals out of reach for many people in Chester County.

Henry said the homeless count increased for the first time in several years, and people are experiencing homelessness for prolonged periods because they cannot find an affordable rental.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires a biennial count of people experiencing homelessness.