SAFE HARBOR OF GREATER WEST CHESTERProviding Shelter and Encouragement for the Homeless |
HomeProgramMission and Goals
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HistorySafe Harbor was organized in response to a need identified by the Chester County Task Force in 1992. The task force found that existing shelters were either established to provide services to a specific segment of the homeless population (e.g., women with children or victims of domestic violence) or had a very structured environment which precluded many of those individuals diagnosed with mental or substance abuse problems. A survey of the homeless population found 61 people sleeping outdoors in the downtown West Chester area alone: 53 men and 8 women. Based on these findings, Safe Harbor was established as a low-demand shelter to serve both men and women whose needs were not being met by existing shelter resources.During its early years, Safe Harbor was operated by an all-volunteer staff from October through April to provide shelter from the harshness of winter. The Shelter utilized available space in church basements and other buildings that would accommodate its needs. Safe Harbor also started its Community Hot Lunch program to provide a nutritious noontime meal to low income people in the West Chester area. On December 22, 1995, Safe Harbor opened its permanent, year-round shelter designed to to house 20 men and 4 women daily at 20 North Matlack Street in West Chester, Pennsylvania . This facility has a fully equipped kitchen plus shower and laundry facilities for use by residents. In its first full year of operation, the shelter served 146 men and 19 women in need of a place to sleep. In 1999, the services of a full-time professional caseworker were added to better provide for the needs of residents. In 2000, the shelter instituted a 90 day limit of stay policy and began tracking the number of residents being placed in safe housing. The following year, with this policy in full effect, the number of people served increased to 209, a 1/3 increase in the number of people served over the average for the previous 3 years. That same year we placed 40 of these residents in either transitional or permanent housing, a success rate of 19%. Today Safe Harbor is serving over 200 unduplicated residents annually using both volunteer and paid staff. We continue to monitor the success of our program and make changes based on input from organizations with which we collaborate, our volunteers, supporters and the community we seek to serve Top ©2003-2005 Safe Harbor of Greater West Chester
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