Homelessness decreases by 30% in Chester County

WEST CHESTER - People are stepping up in Chester County to reduce homelessness.

Monday, the county announced it had reached a "functional zero milestone" for chronic homelessness.

This achievement was first made public during a recent Chester County Department of Community Development event on housing affordability and homelessness held last week on June 2.

During the past five years, 52% fewer people entered emergency shelters in Chester County. In 2025 the county reported that 564 people entered emergency shelters compared to 1,165 people.

Noteworthy in Chesco, first-time homelessness decreased by 10% between 2024 and 2025.

This winter, the 2026 Point-in-Time Count survey, which is a federally mandated U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development census of sheltered and unsheltered homelessness, found that homelessness had decreased on Jan. 28-29 by 30% compared to the same timeframe in 2025.

Conducted from Jan. 28 through the early morning hours of Jan. 29, this survey found that 219 people were experiencing homelessness - marking the second-lowest count in more than a decade.

The five-year daily average for people experiencing homelessness is 316; the 10-year daily average of homelessness in Chester County is 431 people.

"A common misconception is that a county as wealthy as ours wouldn't have to contend with homelessness, but the opposite is true," said Chester County Commissioner Eric Roe on Monday. "The high cost of living here actually exacerbates homelessness, which is why this milestone is such a big achievement. The work continues."

Still, he added, the recent decrease in homelessness in Chester County is something everyone can celebrate with pride.

"Every number in this report represents a person - a neighbor, a veteran, a family member, or someone who simply fell on hard times," said Chester County Commissioner Marian Moskowitz. "Reaching functional zero for chronic homelessness shows what is possible when a community refuses to look away and instead comes together to create real solutions."

Moskowitz said she was incredibly proud of the partners who made this achievement possible and grateful that Chester County continues to lead with both data and compassion.

"While our work is not finished, today is proof that when we work together with purpose and humanity, we can change lives," she said.

"Our nonprofit leaders have worked together and tirelessly to get to this point," said Chester County Commissioner Josh Maxwell. "They track each unhoused individual and don't stop working with them until they're housed, this accomplishment is directly tied to the people working together across organizations to help the people that deserve it the most."

"Chronic homelessness refers to long-lasting or recurring homelessness that affects a community's most vulnerable residents," said Andrew Kreider, communications director for Chester County. "Achieving this functional zero milestone is the result of a countywide, coordinated, data-driven entry system that has successfully reduced chronic homelessness to a rare, manageable level."

The county said collaboration, data and targeted Interventions have driven measurable results for change. The shared hope of the commissioners to make homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring.

"What we have here in Chester County is a diverse community ecosystem. We have small borough governments working alongside nonprofits; faith-based organizations standing beside legal aid providers; and housing developers partnering with domestic violence advocates," said Dolores Colligan. She is the director of the Chester County Department of Community Development in West Goshen.

"That kind of cross-sector collaboration is rare," she said.

"Chester County has proven to be on the leading edge of solving homelessness and an exceptional leader in harnessing the power of data," said LoriAnn Girvan, principal of Strategy and Impact at Community Solutions, based in New York City. Her organization leads the national Built for Zero initiative, a movement uniting communities to measurably end homelessness.

"Together, we're guided by the belief that every person deserves stability, dignity, and a safe place to call home," said Kelly Raggazino, chief executive officer of Open Hearth, based in Phoenixville.

Uniting shared metrics, resources, and collective drive has given Open Hearth, the Chester County Partnership to End Homelessness, and the Chester County Department of Community Development a sharp focus on reducing homelessness, she said.

Raggazino added that she is incredibly honored to work alongside dedicated, compassionate peers making this real impact possible.

Approximately 32,000 people live below the poverty line in Chester County. Although chronic homelessness is down, more than 300 people experience homelessness on any given night.

To learn about homelessness reduction efforts in Chester County, visit Chester County Partnership to End Homelessness.

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