Food Assistance
Need food now? Call the Chester County Food Bank at 610-873-6000 or visit ChesterCountyFoodBank.org to find your nearest food pantry.
Chester County Food Bank
610-873-6000 | www.ChesterCountyFoodBank.org
Distributes 6.1M+ lbs of food annually through 100+ partner agencies. Use their Food Finder tool online to locate the nearest pantry.
www.ymcagbw.org/community-resource-pantry
Provides fresh and shelf-stable food to Chester County residents through our Food and Resource Pantries. Our pantries are located at three branches and are open to all residents of Chester County at no cost. Visit us at the Coatesville, Oscar Lasko and Lionville Community YMCAs.
Provides nutritious, hot meals to homebound residents who cannot shop or cook for themselves
CYWA - Community Youth & Women’s Association
Provides everything from fresh produce, baked goods, meat, and non-perishable items.
Salvation Army Coatesville Corps
www.easternusa.salvationarmy.org
Offers a "Super Cupboard" program with fresh produce, non-perishables, and nutrition education.
West Chester Food Cupboard
www.WestChesterFoodCupboard.org
Free groceries once/month for West Chester Area School District residents. There is also a Food Cupboard Express that is open to anyone, no eligibility required.
St. Agnes Day Room
Serves the basic needs of the poor and the homeless in the West Chester Area.
Lord’s Pantry of Downingtown
www.lordspantryofdowningtown.org
Provides food, information, and special programs to those in need, always with respect and compassion.
Lincoln’s Promise Food Pantry
Helps Veterans in need of food assistance. A 'choice pantry,' meaning Veterans can shop and select the items they prefer to eat. There is always a supply of prepared boxes of food ready to place in the hands of a Veteran in immediate need.
Utilities Assistance
If you live in a low-income household or are undergoing a hardship, you may qualify for support in paying utility bills. Most utility companies offer assistance.
LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program)
A federally funded program providing grants to help low-income households with heating and cooling energy costs.
PA 211 East
Dial 2-1-1 or text your zip code to 898-211 to find local assistance programs for electric, gas, water, and sewer bills.
PECO
Offers Payment Plans, Budget Billing, and the Matching Energy Assistance Fund (MEAF) for customers facing hardship.
Aqua
www.aquawater.com | 1-877-987-2782
Provides Customer Assistance Program (CAP) to reduce water bills and the Aqua Aid program for eligible households.
Dollar Energy Fund
www.dollarenergy.org | 1-800-545-7741
Dollar Energy Fund’s Pennsylvania Hardship Program provides one-time assistance grants to FirstEnergy customers that are applied directly to their utility bill. Funding is available on a first come, first serve basis and eligibility requirements vary based on the utility company.
Housing Assistance
Facing eviction or homelessness? Call 2-1-1 first — it is Chester County's coordinated entry point for all emergency housing resources.
Housing Authority of Chester County (HACC)
610-436-9200 | www.haccnet.org
Administers Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers and public housing (206+ units). For waitlist questions, email waitlist@haccnet.org
Home rehabilitation ($25K max), home maintenance for seniors 65+, down payment assistance, and credit counseling for low-to-moderate income.
211 (Coordinated Entry) | www.endhomelessnesschesco.org
Single point of entry for emergency housing via 211. Connects to prevention, shelter, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing.
Open Hearth, Inc.
610-792-9282 | www.openhearthinc.org
Permanent Supportive Housing (CoC), Housing Cintingency Fund (for mental health clients), and Family Savings homeownership match up to $4,000.
Home of the Sparrow
610-647-4940 | www.homeofthesparrow.org
Eviction prevention programming for Chester County residents.
Good Samaritan Services
888-477-0025 | www.goodsam.org
Emergency shelter and transitional housing for single adults and families.
St. Mary’s Franciscan Shelter
610-933-3097 | www.stmarysfs.org
Family Shelter located in Phoenixville.
Bridge of Hope - Chester County
610-280-0280 | www.chestercounty.bridgeofhopeinc.org
Provides food, information, and special programs to those in need, always with respect and compassion.
Orion Communities
610-415-1140 | www.orioncommunities.org
One-time emergency financial assistance for housing needs.
The Oaks Ministry
484-368-7268 | www.oxfordministry.com
Transitional housing for single women in Oxford, PA.
Good Works / Good Neighbors, Inc.
Home repairs for homeowners at 150-175% poverty level; grants generally under $5,000.
PA Housing Finance Agency (PHFA)
Statewide affordable apartment locator. Also HOME Investment Partnership grants for affordable development.
Maternal
and Child
Assistance
If you live in a low-income household or are undergoing a hardship, you may qualify for support in paying utility bills. Most utility companies offer assistance.
Maternal and Child Health Consortium
A nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that children and families have the skills, knowledge, and resources to start healthy, stay healthy, and succeed in school.
Chester County Health Department
Provides maternal and child health services to promote healthy pregnancies and healthy infants and children. These services support the growth of healthy families and focus on healthy birth outcomes, healthy childhood milestones and access to other needed services.
Chester County Connect Care
Provides no-cost medical services for women (and the birth father, if present) facing an unexpected pregnancy.
Chester County’s Children
www.chestercountyschildren.org
Provides financial aid for families in crisis, and children
up to the age of 21 who are living in foster care.