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Jane Varley & Elizabeth McCready
Safe Harbor Founding Members and Board Members Emeriti
Dear Friends of Safe Harbor,
It has been many years since Elizabeth and I began our work with the homeless. In the picture
I'm the one with the imaginary chain saw and it looks like Elizabeth is on to me. What are we up to?
A little history:
We both have found that working with Safe Harbor volunteers and staff to provide shelter and make
changes in the lives of those who find life's journey so difficult has been one of the greatest
experiences of our rather long lives. In the first years while a Task Force looked for a permanent
location shelter was provided by churches and synagogues in our community at great sacrifice and
commitment on the part of these churches. We were staffed only by volunteers. Many of them
staying overnight and going to work the next day. Chester County and it's residents
can be so proud of Safe Harbor. A real grass roots mission.
The founders sometimes made up in dedication and perseverance for what we lacked in experience
in founding a shelter. We could stay about two weeks in each church and then packed up and
moved to another church. Anyone with a pick up truck was a real find. After over two years
of moving from place to place we finally found a suitable location. Safe Harbor had worked
hard to become a respected and vital mission in our community and, as now, loved working
together to do this.
NOW WHAT ARE WE UP TO?
We had from the beginning such a small space for women and over the years the need has grown
tremendously. We are taking another "Leap of Faith". Once again we are asking for the help
of our community to add a second floor for the homeless women in our community, who are so
vulnerable on the streets. For the second winter the Chester County community of churches
and synagogues has provided shelter and volunteer staff for women as Safe Harbor consults
with architects and works to provide FUNDING.
We thank you for your support in the past and come to you for help in our campaign to complete this project.
Jane Varley
Founding Board Member and Member Emeritus
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History
Safe 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.
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Safe Harbor of Greater West Chester
20 North Matlack Street
West Chester, PA 19380
610-692-6550
Shelter@SafeHarborofGWC.Org
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©2010 Safe Harbor of Greater West Chester
©2010 All photographs by Daniel Williams Photography, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Unlawful to Reproduce
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