Chester County reaches ‘functional zero milestone’ for chronic homelessness. What does that mean?

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For the first time since Chester County began tracking the data in 2023, the county achieved a “functional zero milestone” for chronic homelessness in December 2025 and January 2026.

A “functional zero” means that three or fewer people were experiencing chronic homelessness. During each of those months, officials logged just three people fitting the category. The monthly average is around 11.

The dip did not last. However, county officials still see it as a sign of progress.

“What we really look at this as is a turning point and really a way for us to build momentum on having reductions in homelessness,” said Robert Henry, administrator of the Chester County Partnership to End Homelessness.

In 2020, the county joined the Built for Zero initiative, which is a national data campaign designed to reduce homelessness. The county rolled out new data collection measures, including a real-time list of people experiencing homelessness.

Using those figures, coordinated entry and a housing first model, Chester County implemented a case conferencing strategy to link people to the right resources. The gains the county is seeing in slashing chronic homelessness are the result of collaborative work involving countless government entities, individual partners and local nonprofits.

“The biggest take home for all of us doing this frontline and day-to-day work is that we’ve hit that number and we have seen how much more manageable it just feels,” said Cory Lovera, a housing and community resource manager with Open Hearth Inc.

What is chronic homelessness?

The Department of Housing and Urban Development considers an individual chronically homeless if they have a disabling condition and have been unhoused for at least a year.

In January 2024, HUD recorded 152,585 people experiencing “chronic patterns of homelessness” in the United States, the highest number since HUD first began collecting data in 2007.

“Someone is very vulnerable when [they’re] homeless,” Lovera said. “The amount of barriers that society puts in place and the amount of vulnerabilities that you experience without a disabling condition are very high. So, I think focusing in on that chronic population has allowed us to really funnel as many limited resources as we can to these folks who have so much vulnerability and so many barriers in place.”

In a joint statement, the Chester County Board of Commissioners attributed the milestone to the collaboration and partnerships coordinated by the county Department of Community Development.

“There is great momentum in Chester County, and thanks to the incredible efforts of the County’s stakeholders, a corner has been turned in responding to homelessness,” commissioners said.

What gains is Chester County making in reducing other forms of homelessness?

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, Chester County tallied 1,165 people entering its emergency shelters. In 2025, 564 people utilized the emergency shelters — a 52% decline from 2021, according to the county.

In 2025, Chester County’s Point-in-Time Count found 313 people experiencing homelessness during the night of the tally. In 2026, the number fell to 219 people, representing a significant decrease and the second-lowest count in more than a decade.

Meanwhile, county officials said they have also seen a reduction in first-time homelessness.

“The ‘no wrong door’ approach has really helped us with the kind of motto that — you can’t solve a problem you can’t see,” Henry said. “So working with that larger group of partners where we know that everybody’s chipping in really helps us to identify folks who are having a housing issue or experiencing homelessness and address those needs effectively.”

Going forward, Henry said the county wants to promote as much new affordable housing construction as possible as housing prices continue to skyrocket in Pennsylvania’s wealthiest county.