“Steve’s” Story
From August 2021 to August 2025, for a total of 1,354 days, “Steve” faced the daily challenges of chronic homelessness. “Steve”, rightfully, did not always trust the teams and people from the Chester County Coordinated Entry system that tried to work with him, but through perseverance and gradual rapport building, “Steve” began to trust a few people. He connected with Chester County Department of Community Development (DCD) Street Outreach Team, funded in part through Chester County’s HUD CoC-CE grant, in 2021 and then eventually began working more closely with the dedicated team at Brandywine Valley Active Aging (BVAA) for Case Management.
After many attempts at several permanent housing options through the Case Conferencing process, “Steve” was finally eligible for Open Hearth, Inc.’s Continuum of Care (CoC) Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) team and was referred to that program through Case Conferencing. The case management team at BVAA, aided by Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding via Chester County Department of Community Development (DCD), was critical to helping ensure that “Steve” was connected to every resource possible so that he would have all of the documents needed for the program. The BVAA team also helped the CoC PSH team build rapport with “Steve” so that he didn’t feel alone in the process. “Steve’s” trust in BVAA’s Case Management was pivotal to him connecting with the new housing team.
Many people thought that “Steve” would not want to work with the program and “didn’t want to be housed”. The Case Conferencing team didn’t believe that. They believed that “Steve” simply hadn’t been shown a permanent housing option that fit him and his needs. “Steve” accepted the referral to the CoC PSH program and was opened in June of 2025 and permanently housed in his own rental unit, in his hometown, at the beginning of August 2025.
Coordinated Entry and “Steve” worked together, as a team, to build a path toward stability—step by step, resource by resource—until “Steve” secured permanent housing. His journey is a testament to resilience, the incredible power of community collaboration, and the belief that with the right support, lasting change is possible. This team truly believes that housing is a human right and everyone deserves a safe place to call home.