Open Hearth

The Family Savings Partner Program assists eligible individuals in building assets by providing matched savings for program graduates to be used for home purchase, education, or car purchase. The program provides educational workshops throughout Chester County on topics including budgeting, credit, home purchase, financing college, and car buying. 229 people attended 20 free personal financial education workshops. Through the FSP program of asset building and matched savings, the Organization helped 46 households, with 6 attaining their long-term goals. Since 2001, 207 graduates have saved a total of $482,374 and purchased $13.6 million in assets. Through the Financial Insight and Resource Management program, the Organization assisted 177 households with budget counseling, credit repair, debt counseling, and social service support. Our Financial Navigator serves as a point of entry for the PA CareerLink and the United Way of Chester County Financial Stability Center located in Exton, PA. The Financial Navigator's role is to complete an initial intake and financial assessment for individuals interested in accessing services located within the Financial Stability Center and to provide financial stability direct services. She also acts as a resource coordinator in order to promote and achieve a client's goal(s) of increasing income, decreasing debt, and increasing assets. A total of 242 brief and full-service clients were served this fiscal year.

Open Hearth, Inc.'s mission includes the Organization's ongoing efforts to strengthen the fabric of the community as it builds the capacity of the community to meet the needs of those that it serves. The Organization has taken a leadership position in the community on the issues of affordable housing, financial stability, and improved quality of life for all. Our CEO serves on the Community Coalition board and was appointed to chair the governance board of the Chester County Partnership to End Homelessness (formerly known as Decade to Doorways (D2D), Chester County's 10-year plan to prevent and end homelessness. Several other staff serve on other community initiatives like the Chester County and Phoenixville ACE's Coalition and the Ride for Health Initiative. The Organization has created and published six editions of The Help BookA Health and Human Services Guide, a popular resource for agencies, organizations, and community members to connect their needs to area services. Open Hearth, Inc. also created and administers the Phoenixville Area Resource Network (PARN), a monthly drop-in meeting attended by over 100 local social service agencies.

Open Hearth managed permanent housing subsidies for 93 individuals and families who experienced homelessness and have a documented disability via the Continuum of Care Permanent Supportive Housing Program (CoC). Open Hearth, Inc. provided housing startup costs, emergency financial assistance to prevent eviction or utility shut-off, and hotel respite for individuals experiencing homelessness who met the criteria of serious and persistent mental illness through our Housing Contingency Funds (HCF). A total of 70 households received HCF assistance. Due to the receipt of a multi-million-dollar US Department of the Treasury, Coronavirus Relief fund, Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) contract in the spring of 2021, the Organization put its already existing homelessness prevention program, GAP, on hiatus. ERAP provides rent and utility assistance to households adversely affected by Covid. Instead of serving an expected 20 households through GAP, we have been able to serve 440 households and disburse over $3,267,306 million through the end of September 2021. With the understanding that additional Covid funds will be available.Targeted Homelessness Resource Coordinator (THRC) an effort to end homelessness in Chester County. According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, the best practice for ending homelessness for any targeted population is through the creation and management of a by-name list. The THRC is responsible for maintaining this list for Chester County and overseeing a community-wide effort among all housing providers to prioritize those on this list for permanent housing opportunities.

Open Hearth, Inc. assists persons who need transportation. Through the Family Savings Partner (FSP) program, 14 people started saving toward the goal of purchasing a vehicle and two completed that goal this fiscal year.On July 1, 2020, Open Hearth was named the One-Stop Operator (OSO) for PA CareerLink Chester County. The OSO plays a pivotal role in ensuring that the PA CareerLink establishes and maintains a high-performing, customer-focused, and results-oriented workforce system. High performance is achieved through a coordinated environment that seeks and uses customer feedback, builds cooperative partner relationships, offers a diverse menu of services, establishes an effective customer flow, and understands the importance of regular and open communication.