2018 Year End Data Report
The number of unique persons entering Emergency Shelter (ES) or Transitional Housing (TH) decreased significantly, from 1,223 in 2017 to 1,054 in 2018.
The number of unique persons entering Emergency Shelter (ES) or Transitional Housing (TH) decreased significantly, from 1,223 in 2017 to 1,054 in 2018.
The majority of individuals access Coordinated Entry (CE) via telephone calls, email or text message. CE also provides on‐site outreach services to persons who may have difficulty utilizing other access points. All phone calls, emails, text messages, outreach services, and in‐person visits count as a “call.”
In 2018, 756 unique households were placed on the emergency shelter queues.
Once prioritization has been completed, persons who cannot be immediately referred to shelter due to capacity constraints are placed on the emergency shelter queues. The Decade to Doorways system maintains three separate emergency shelter queues.
Emergency shelter is a crucial component of Chester County’s homeless crisis response system. However, it is important that shelter not be seen as a destination, but rather a part of a larger process that rapidly exits persons experiencing homelessness to permanent housing destinations. D2D is committed to a Housing First approach to homeless crisis intervention as it reduces the length of time people remain homeless and creates a more effective and equitable system.*
*Data from:
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Crisis Response System Residency Guidelines (Out of County Policy)
Communities throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania are transforming their housing crisis response systems through single point of entry centralized intake and coordinated assessment services with the goal of helping families and individuals who are homeless or at-risk for homelessness to find shelter and achieve permanent housing stability more effectively given limited funding and other resources.
Context
All Counties throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania are required to have a housing crisis response system with a single point of entry to include centralized intake and coordinated assessment services. The goal of this Coordinated Entry System is to assist individuals and families who are HUD definition homeless and/or at-risk for homelessness find emergency shelter and achieve permanent housing stability more effectively given limited funding and available resources. In 2013, government, philanthropic and community leaders from Bucks, Chester and Montgomery Counties came together to establish and adopt in good faith a common standard for serving out of county residents. It is the expectation that other neighboring Counties will adopt these joint guidelines as a step towards streamlining services and support for residents experiencing a housing crisis. Chester County has remained a Housing First community and continues to remove barriers to effectively serve the most vulnerable residents of our County.
Chester County Partnership to End Homelessness Response System Residency Guidelines
People seeking homeless assistance typically have better and more viable support systems in their County of origin. Discerning residency in the homeless population can be a challenge. The following guidelines have been drafted to inform decision making when verifying residency in the homeless population.
To be considered for housing and/or homeless assistance services in Chester County (including Case Conferencing), the individual or families last permanent address must be in Chester County. The call to 2-1-1 must also be from within Chester County. If someone calls from outside of the County, they will be immediately referred to the coordinated assessment provider in that region.
Exceptions to this policy would include Chester County residents that are currently in a hospital or other treatment setting outside of Chester County.
If an individual or family calls 2-1-1 from Chester County but discloses during the intake process that their last permanent address was outside of Chester County, the 2-1-1 Call Specialist will directly refer them back to their home County’s Coordinated Entry System.
If the Chester County Street Outreach Team determines that an individual or household is not from Chester County diversion back to their home County will be conducted. This can include but is not limited to providing financial assistance transportation.
Individuals and families whose last residence was outside of Chester County will not be referred for Emergency Shelter or offered Case Conferencing except under the following circumstances:
The individual or family reports that they are fleeing domestic violence (Category 4 of HUD’s Definition of Homelessness – see attached). These cases will be immediately referred to the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County (DVCCC) during the initial 2-1-1 call. If it is determined that the individual or family is fleeing domestic violence but there are no emergency shelter units available through DVCCC, they may be considered for emergency housing resources. The Chester County Street Outreach Team will require a signed DVCCC “Consent to Release Personal Information” to verify that the caller contacted DVCCC and that no other resources are available at that time.
The individual or family is literally street homeless and/or sleeping in a place not meant for human habitation (Category 1 of HUD’s Definition of Homelessness) and it is determined by the Chester County Street Outreach Team that they are currently in Chester County through no fault of their own.
Examples of this scenario could be a veteran that was discharged from the VA Medical Center and cannot return home or an individual or family was that was discharged from an institutional setting in Chester County and cannot return to their home County. Note that this information must be confirmed by Chester County Street Outreach Team. Even in these cases, every effort will be made to assist the individual or family to return to their original place of origin through robust diversion efforts. If after all reasonable efforts to divert the individual or family have been made but they can still not return home, they may offer Emergency Shelter and/or Case Conferencing. These situations will be determined on case-by-case basis by the Chester County Street Outreach Team.
The individual or family comes to Chester County to take refuge from a natural disaster as defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), cannot return to their place of origin due to safety issues and has no other available resources to assist them in securing temporary or permanent housing (or those resources have been exhausted). Note that documentation confirming the individual or family’s status must be provided to the Street Outreach Team in order to be considered under this exception.
The above-mentioned examples are the only exceptions to the Chester County Partnership to End Homelessness Response System Residency Guidelines. All other individuals or families that are not from Chester County will be referred to the Coordinated Entry program from their place of origin. A client simply getting Medicaid benefits in Chester County or the fact that they are working with an organization in Chester County will not supersede the policies above. Outlier or special circumstances not accounted for in the policy should be brought to the attention of the Chester County Department of Community Development.
Please contact the Chester County Department of Community Development at 610-344-6900 or by e-mail at ccdcd@chesco.org if you have any questions.
Integrate Health Care
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness outlines the importance of integrated health care for people experiencing homelessness, as well as strategies for integration and better access to care.
Notice Establishing Additional Requirements for a Continuum of Care Centralized or Coordinated Assessment System
The Chester County Partnership to End Homelessness Governance Board adopted CPD-17-01 Notice Establishing Additional Requirements for a Continuum of Care Centralized or Coordinated Assessment System. It is effective as of July 26, 2018.
The Chester County Partnership to End Homelessness Governance Board adopted CPD-17-01 Notice Establishing Additional Requirements for a Continuum of Care Centralized or Coordinated Assessment System. It is effective as of July 26, 2018.
Prioritizing Persons Experiencing Chronic Homelessness and Other Vulnerable Homeless Persons in Permanent Supportive Housing
The Chester County Partnership to End Homelessness’ Governance Board adopted CPD-16-11 Notice on Prioritizing Persons Experiencing Chronic Homelessness and Other Vulnerable Homeless Persons in Permanent Supportive Housing. It is effective as of July 26, 2018.
The Chester County Partnership to End Homelessness’ Governance Board adopted CPD-16-11 Notice on Prioritizing Persons Experiencing Chronic Homelessness and Other Vulnerable Homeless Persons in Permanent Supportive Housing. It is effective as of July 26, 2018.
CPD-15-02 Appropriate Placement for Transgender Persons in Single-Sex Emergency Shelters and Other Facilities
The Chester County Partnership to End Homelessness’ Governance Board adopted CPD-15-02 Appropriate Placement for Transgender Persons in Single-Sex Emergency Shelters and Other Facilities. It is effective as of July 26, 2018.
The Chester County Partnership to End Homelessness’ Governance Board adopted CPD-15-02 Appropriate Placement for Transgender Persons in Single-Sex Emergency Shelters and Other Facilities. It is effective as of July 26, 2018.
Chester County Homeless Youth Count
Decade to Doorways surveyed a total of 140 homeless or unstably housed youth throughout Chester County, Pennsylvania to identify their most urgent needs and determine where the county lacked resources in stabilizing their lives.
Decade to Doorways surveyed a total of 140 homeless or unstably housed youth throughout Chester County, Pennsylvania to identify their most urgent needs and determine where the county lacked resources in stabilizing their lives.
2018-2020 Operational Plan
Decade to Doorways (D2D) is Chester County’s Ten Year Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. It’s an umbrella over approximately 35 organizations diligently working every day to see our community healthy, housed, and stable. These organizations all share in the mission to prevent and end homelessness but they can be split up into four different categories: emergency or transitional shelter, supportive services, permanent housing, and prevention services. As a collective impact model, D2D brings efficiency, effectiveness, and innovation to the current system.
Decade to Doorways (D2D) is Chester County’s Ten Year Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. It’s an umbrella over approximately 35 organizations diligently working every day to see our community healthy, housed, and stable. These organizations all share in the mission to prevent and end homelessness but they can be split up into four different categories: emergency or transitional shelter, supportive services, permanent housing, and prevention services. As a collective impact model, D2D brings efficiency, effectiveness, and innovation to the current system.
2016-2017 Operational Plan
In 2013, the Department of Community Development launched Decade to Doorways (D2D), a community initiative to end homelessness by the year 2023. It is based on a Ten Year Strategic Plan developed by over 200 community members that involves action and collaboration from many different organizations and individuals across the county. Three years into the plan, the initiative has made significant progress, but members were not clear about what their priorities should be for the next phase of their work.
In 2013, the Department of Community Development launched Decade to Doorways (D2D), a community initiative to end homelessness by the year 2023. It is based on a Ten Year Strategic Plan developed by over 200 community members that involves action and collaboration from many different organizations and individuals across the county. Three years into the plan, the initiative has made significant progress, but members were not clear about what their priorities should be for the next phase of their work.
Know Your Responsibilities: Landlord Basics
Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, as amended in 1988, is known as the Fair Housing Act. The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to discriminate in any type of housing related transaction on the basis of: Race, Color, Religion, Sex, National Origin, Disability, or Familial Status (presence of minor children in a household, pregnant women or anyone securing legal custody of a child).
Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, as amended in 1988, is known as the Fair Housing Act. The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to discriminate in any type of housing related transaction on the basis of: Race, Color, Religion, Sex, National Origin, Disability, or Familial Status (presence of minor children in a household, pregnant women or anyone securing legal custody of a child).