Upper Darby Gets 2nd Homeless Shelter as Need Rises

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A pair of hands holding a lit model house
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A new homeless shelter in Upper Darby is a “dream come true” for Stephanie Sena, a Villanova professor at the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, writes Alfred Lubrano for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Sena created the Breaking Bread Community shelter at a former daycare center in Upper Darby.

The three-story, 4,000-square-foot shelter accepted 17 overnight residents Monday after a year of work and planning with $2 million in funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the state legislature.

Ultimately, the shelter will accommodate 30 men and women, with wheelchair users and individuals with pets welcome.

Breaking Bread Community is Upper Darby’s second shelter.

“This shelter is needed because we’ve seen the number of people living homeless in Upper Darby increase in the last year,” said Paulann Sabatino, a partner at Recovery Without Barriers.

Advocates at the shelter will help guests with services leading to permanent housing. 

Upper Darby Township Councilman Hafiz Tunis said very few people opposed the shelter.

“There’s almost always a NIMBY [Not In My Backyard] crowd,” Tunis said. “But people from across party lines are supporting this shelter, because they see the need.”

Read more about Stephanie Sena and the new shelter in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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