Our History

Friends Association was founded in 1822 in Philadelphia, PA, as an orphanage for city children. Since then it has operated continuously as a child welfare and/or housing organization. In 1915, the association moved to Cheyney, PA, where they provided shelter and education for 30 girls. By 1974 the association had been renamed the Friends Shelter for Girls and had moved to West Chester, PA. There they began a Special Needs Foster Care Program for older children and also accepted homeless families into their shelter. We officially became Friends Association for Care and Protection of Children in 1982.

Over the next few years we expanded our programs to include a variety of local housing services in Chester County. Currently we operate two housing services, an Emergency Family Shelter and a Homeless Prevention program. Our Shelter residents stay in an apartment building in West Chester. PA., while our Homeless Prevention clients reside in scattered site apartments or houses throughout Chester County.

For 189 years Friends Association has provided essential social services for children and families. Our programs, which have changed over time in response to the needs of those we serve and the needs of the community, currently focus on homeless or near homeless families with children. We operate one of only three family shelters in Chester County and one of the few homeless prevention programs in the region.

Our goal is to strengthen our community by helping the families we serve find or maintain permanent housing and to achieve stability and self-sufficiency.