ICYMI: August Partnership Highlights
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This August, the Partnership continued shining a light on the challenges driving homelessness while uplifting the solutions and resources that help create housing stability.
Throughout the month, the Partnership highlighted the growing gap between wages and housing costs, the impact of eviction, and the reality that more than one in four people experiencing homelessness in Chester County are children. We also shared local resources available through the Human Needs Network and invited our community to learn more about homelessness in Chester County and how they can help address it.
In July, Partnership Coordinator Kasey Schlack and Construction & Community Services Manager Lauran Rillstone attended the 2026 National Conference on Ending Homelessness and Capitol Hill Day, hosted by the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
💡The conference brought together service providers, advocates, community leaders, and people with lived experience of homelessness from across the country to share best practices, innovative solutions, and strategies for ending homelessness.
During Capitol Hill Day, Kasey and Lauran met with staff from Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan's office to share the progress Chester County has made, discuss the challenges our community continues to face, and discuss the federal resources that help make housing stability possible. This meeting was one of 300+ that took place across 48 states to advance solutions to end homelessness.
With housing costs so much higher than what many people can afford, a growing number of renters are forced to spend more of their incomes to keep a roof over their heads.
For an increasing number of Chester County households, rents are out of reach. In Pennsylvania, Fair Market Rate for a one-bedroom rental home is over 3x higher than the rent affordable to minimum wage workers and individuals relying on Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
The National Low Income Housing Coalition's annual Out of Reach report highlights the growing gap between wages and the cost of rental housing across the United States, showing that affordable rental homes remain out of reach for millions of low-wage workers, seniors, people with disabilities, families, and other renters.
Read the full report to learn more at nlihc.org/oor.
New data from the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania shows that 317 renter households (or 1 in 15 renter households) face an eviction filing every day.
An eviction filing doesn't just threaten someone's current housing. It can make it much harder to find a safe, affordable home in the future, even if the case is dismissed.
Eviction is linked to housing instability, poorer health outcomes, disruptions in children's education, and challenges for employers and communities. It also disproportionately impacts single mothers, renters of color, and households already struggling with high housing costs.
📞 If you or someone you know is experiencing housing instability or homelessness, call the Human Needs Network of Chester County at 211 to be connected with emergency housing resources, rental assistance, and other available supports.
Learn more about this data at housingalliancepa.org/interactive-web-report-update-2026/.
More than 1 in 4 people experiencing homelessness in Chester County are children.
On the night of the 2026 Point-in-Time Count, 59 children under the age of 18 were experiencing homelessness. Over the past five years, children have on average made up about 28% of the county's homeless population.
Every child deserves the stability of having a safe place to call home.
📞 If you or someone you know is experiencing housing instability or homelessness, call the Human Needs Network of Chester County at 211 to be connected with emergency housing resources, rental assistance, and other available supports.
💙 Want to help? Visit our partner pages to learn about local organizations serving families with children and discover ways to get involved in preventing and ending homelessness in Chester County.
Working full time is no longer enough.
In Pennsylvania, the Fair Market Rent (FMR) for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,501. In order to afford this level of rent and utilities — without paying more than 30% of income on housing — a household must earn $5,004 monthly or $60,050 annually.
This means that a a person would need to work:
1.4 full-time jobs at mean renter wage ($21.35/hr) to afford a 2 bedroom at FMR.
4 full-time jobs at minimum wage ($7.25/hr) to afford a 2 bedroom at FMR.
NLIHC’s Out of Reach report calls attention to the disparity between wages and the cost of rental housing in the U.S. Every year the report has shown that affordable rental homes are out of reach for millions of low-wage workers, seniors, families, and other renters. Read the full report to learn more at nlihc.org/oor.
🎒As backpacks are packed, first-day outfits are picked out, and lunchboxes are filled, families across Chester County are getting ready for another school year.
But for some families, the biggest question isn't who their child's teacher will be. It's where they'll sleep tonight.
A child experiencing homelessness could be sitting in your child's classroom. They deserve the same chance to learn, make friends, and dream about the future—but that's much harder without a safe, stable place to call home.
📞 If you or someone you know is experiencing housing instability or homelessness, call the Human Needs Network of Chester County at 211 to be connected with emergency housing resources, rental assistance, and other available supports.
Want to help? Visit our partner pages to learn about local organizations serving families with children and discover ways to get involved.
Because every classroom is stronger when every child has a place to call home. 💙
Need help? Start by calling the Human Needs Network of Chester County by dialing 211.
If you or someone you know is experiencing homelessness, fleeing domestic violence, or at risk of losing their housing, the Human Needs Network of Chester County can connect you with information, referrals, and available community resources.
Trained specialists can help with:
🏠 Housing and utility assistance
🍎 Food resources
💙 Mental health and substance use services
🏥 Health care and insurance assistance
🎖️ Veterans services
🌧️ Disaster assistance
💼 Employment resources
⚖️ Legal services
🤝 And other essential supports
Calling the Human Needs Network of Chester County at 211 does not guarantee services, but it is the first step in learning what resources may be available based on your needs.
August 26th was National Dog Day! Meet the Dogs of the Partnership: Kasey's dog, Courage, and Rob's dog, Boudica. 🐾
Now that their cute faces have your attention... We believe every person in Chester County deserves a safe, stable place to call home.
If you share that belief, the Partnership's website is a great place to learn more about homelessness in our community and how you can be part of the solution.
At endhomelessnesschesco.org, you can:
🏠 Learn about the current state of homelessness in Chester County and what's driving it.
🤝 Find organizations providing housing and homelessness services to local residents.
📢 Explore how policy and community action help address affordable housing and homelessness.
📅 Explore upcoming events and opportunities to get involved.
📬 Sign up for our newsletter to stay informed.
💙 Learn more about who we are and the work of the Chester County Partnership to End Homelessness.