Equity Health Center Shares Data Showing Need for Housing, Food and Health-Related Services in Coatesville

The Equity Health Center, an initiative of The Alliance for Health Equity, is sharing data drawn from 30,591 online searches over the past 18 months that shows significant need for housing, food and health-related services in the 19320 zip code predominantly serving the City of Coatesville.

The data is drawn from users searching by zip code and category through PA Navigate, a statewide online platform designed to help residents and providers locate nearby health and social care services. Among the findings since the Equity Health Center began promoting use of the platform in January 2025:

• The three top searches were for housing (averaging 31.2%), health-related services (averaging 23.8%) and food (averaging 17.2%).
• Searches for the largest category, housing, remained consistent over the past 18 months overall. These searches include more detailed needs like help paying for housing, help paying for utilities, assistance with temporary shelter and help finding housing.

• Searches for health-related services saw more fluctuation as the past 18 months unfolded, with 34% of searches related to health in the first half of 2025, 14% in the second half of 2025 and 23.5% in the first half of 2026. These searches include more detailed needs like help finding care and community support services.
• Searches related to food also saw fluctuation, with 13% of searches related to food in the first half of 2025, 22.5% in the second half of 2025, and 16.1% in the first half of 2026. Most of these searches were related to finding a food pantry.
• The remainder of top searches were related to finances, including help making emergency payments, as well as transportation, education, work and legal.

In the last quarter alone, there have been 5,737 searches in the 19320 zip code, with the top searches being:

• 31.7% for housing, which aligns with the 18-month average.
• 26.7% for health-related services, which is slightly higher than the 18-month average.
• 12.42% for food needs.

“The power of this data is to look at granular issues more systemically. Taken as individual parts, we see a story of individual needs. However, when we apply a more meta-level, systemic lens, we see the bigger picture," said Kevin M. Ressler, President and CEO of The Alliance for Health Equity. "Behind each of these acute, urgent needs is the reality of income constraints and affordability. A need for housing indicates instability resulting from challenges in the rental market or inability to move from rental to ownership. A need for a food pantry indicates challenges in either accessing food by cost or by transportation. In the wealthiest county in Pennsylvania, the economic challenges of gas and groceries felt across the commonwealth and country are expounded here at home. It's why our approach has always been a multi-partner approach that lets us go from specific need, to systemic framing, to unique programmatic- focused solutions."

The PA Navigate program was made possible by a $325,000 grant that the Equity Health Center distributed in January 2023 to the Coatesville Center for Community Health (CCCH), which helps connect Coatesville residents to healthcare resources, bringing together multiple organizations under one umbrella, including Planned Parenthood, the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County, WIC, and several Family Service of Chester County programs.

With the grant support in its final phase through the end of 2026, CCCH is also able to operate the Coatesville Area Resource Network (CARN), where more than 300 local agencies, providers and organizations meet monthly to share information on services, events, training, job opportunities and local programs. The goal is to efficiently assist residents with additional support when necessary, including food assistance, housing help, healthcare, counseling and family services. CCCH Executive Director Lila Singleton Singleton believes this collaboration is essential in Coatesville.

“There are a lot of wonderful agencies and resources that are ‘best-kept secrets,’ and that’s really not ideal,” said Singleton. “Without the CARN network, many organizations in Coatesville would struggle with connecting their help and resources to the people who need it the most.”

While the Equity Health Center grant directly supports programs and staffing, Singleton said the partnership also reflects the organization’s broader commitment to strengthening community nonprofits. “The Alliance for Health Equity is phenomenal,” Singleton said. “They do so much in the community for nonprofits.”

About the Equity Health Center

Founded in 2023, Equity Health Center is an initiative of the Alliance for Health Equity. Based in the Brandywine Center, the initiative is funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) by the Chester County Health Department, as well as supported by individual and corporate donations and grants. Partner providers, anchored by Union Community Care, include Coatesville Center for Community Health (CCCH), Community Volunteers in Medicine (CVIM), Coatesville Youth Initiative (CYI), Penn Medicine/Chester County Hospital, and Transportation Management Association of Chester County (TMACC). Learn more at EquityHealthCenter.org.

About Coatesville Center for Community Health

Coatesville Center for Community Health opened in 2001 as a one-stop shop of co-located agencies strategically designed to address the complex needs of the community. The Center alone serves over 7,000 low-income families and children in the Coatesville area each year. Through collaborative community initiatives and programs, the five social service agencies located within Coatesville Center for Community Health provide information and education to the residents of Coatesville about the broad spectrum of health and human services that are available. Learn more at https://www.coatesvillecenter.org/.