Just a few years ago, Chester County had seen a decrease in homelessness by almost 23%, however; those numbers were determined just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Today, Chester County is only seeing increases in homelessness and poverty.
The good news is, Good Samaritan Services has doubled its service capacity by transitioning two of its housing facilities into emergency shelters! Driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, Good Sam reevaluated the needs of the community and reallocated their resources. With assistance from the continued partnership with the Chester County Department of Community Development, Good Sam has been able to pivot its programs to meet the immediate needs of the Phoenixville community.
“We didn’t have to purchase anything or go outside of our means. We simply refocused our programs to be more effective to the current community needs,” says Chief Program Officer, Hannah Miller, “There are still many people who are in need after the pandemic.”
Good Samaritan Services has been providing emergency shelter for those in need since 2002. The original capacity of Good Sam was five men. Over the past 20 years, GSS has expanded its service capacity to 84 individuals per year with the three Emergency Shelter facilities located on High St. in Phoenixville, PA.
Good Sam’s Emergency Shelter participants will get connected to community resources that could help them go directly to permanent housing. If that isn’t an option they will have the option to take advantage of Good Sam’s many programs, such as Residential Housing or Housing Support Services, to help them obtain stable independent housing.
A virtual tour of the renovated facilities will take place on Wednesday, May 26th at 1:00 PM via Facebook Live. Register to watch at https://fb.me/e/4c47D51Qm.
If you know someone who is experiencing homelessness, refer them to 211 and have them ask for Good Samaritan Services.
