ICYMI: May Partnership Highlights
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This May, we were reminded that strong communities are built when everyone has a stable place to call home.
From Affordable Housing Month to Older Americans Month, this issue highlights the progress Chester County is making to prevent and end homelessness through data, partnership, and housing solutions that work. You’ll find updates on system performance, affordable housing efforts, and the collaborative work happening across our community. Together, these stories reflect a simple truth: housing stability strengthens all of us.
Keep reading for updates you won’t want to miss! Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and check out our events page.
Built For Zero communities take a different approach to ending homelessness.
They utilize by-name data, integrated teams, community-level measurements, and more to reach #FunctionalZero.
Learn more about why Chester County is proud to be a Built for Zero community. #HomelessnessIsSovlable
No state has enough affordable rental homes for its lowest-income residents.
That’s the reality highlighted in the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s 2026 report, The Gap.
🏘️In Pennsylvania, the shortage is staggering: 262,753 rental homes are missing for extremely low-income renters.
Behind that number are real people, forced to make impossible choices between paying rent and covering basic needs like food, healthcare, and transportation.
And this isn’t just a challenge for the lowest-income households. More than 1 million Pennsylvania households spend over 30% of their income on housing, putting stability out of reach for many.
⭐There is a path forward. Pennsylvania’s first-ever Housing Action Plan lays out a statewide strategy to increase housing supply, reduce costs, and create more stable housing opportunities for people across all income levels.
Affordable housing isn’t just a challenge for lower-income families anymore. It’s impacting entire communities.
For generations, people were told that education and a stable career would lead to opportunity, security, and a place to call home. Today, that promise feels less certain.
The reason is simple: there aren’t enough homes. When housing is scarce, costs rise. Across the country, nearly 1 in 2 renters* and 1 in 4 homeowners** are spending too much of their income just to stay housed. That means less money for savings, childcare, healthcare, and everyday life.
This pressure spreads across the entire community, making it harder for teachers, service workers, young professionals, and families to afford to live where they work.
This affects all of us.
The solution is clear. We need more housing, and more types of housing, at a range of price points. Because when communities build enough housing, costs stabilize, more people can stay rooted, and fewer people are pushed into crisis.
Housing affordability isn’t someone else’s issue. It shapes what is possible for all of us.
*US Census Bureau, Nearly Half of Renter Households Are Cost-Burdened, Proportions Differ by Race (2024)
**Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, The State of the Nation's Housing (2025)
Chester County has experienced a 52% decrease in people experiencing sheltered homelessness over the last 5 years.
Our latest System Performance Report is now live. Dive into the numbers and see how Chester County is working to prevent and end homelessness: endhomelessnesschesco.org/dashboard-annual-data
We all want to age with dignity, stability, and a sense of belonging.
May is Older Americans Month. Older adults are the fastest growing group of people experiencing homelessness in America.
Take a step today to protect your future and the people you care about. Visit our advocacy page at endhomelessnesschesco.org/affordable-housing-advocacy to learn how you can support housing stability in our community. If you or someone you know needs help, call the Human Needs Network at 2-1-1 to get connected to resources in Chester County.
When there isn’t enough housing, everyone feels it.
But progress is happening.
In 2022, the Chester County Department of Community Development set a goal to add 1,000 affordable housing units in Chester County by 2030, and it's already underway:
🏘️283 new homes opened
🚧139 units under development
⚙️67 units pending
Each new home means more stability, more opportunity, and more people able to live and work in the community they call home.
Imagine knowing the story behind every name.
That’s what by-name data does — it gives us a complete picture of everyone experiencing homelessness. This approach isn’t just about numbers; it is about matching real people with the right housing solutions tailored to their needs.
🔍 Why does this matter? Because personalized solutions are powerful. By understanding individual circumstances through by-name lists, our community can make informed decisions that directly help people find their way home.
Chester County saw a 10% decrease in people experiencing first time homelessness in FY2025.
Chester County’s latest System Performance Report is available now! Explore the data and learn more about our progress: endhomelessnesschesco.org/dashboard-annual-data