You can’t miss it if you are walking, driving, or biking down West Chestnut Street in West Chester.

It covers an entire outside wall at the building that houses the offices of the 200-year-old Friends Association, the nonprofit dedicated to ending homelessness and bringing stable housing to men, women, and children in Chester County.

Thanks to the enthusiastic energy and creative talents of West Chester University student artist Noah Burns, assisted by an army of volunteers, there is now a thought-provoking mural greeting visitors to the street at 113 West Chestnut.

The months-long project culminated in a wall awash in colors of brown, orange, yellow, and blue that include the image of a single Black individual, a family clasping hands outside a house, surrounded by a mix of circles, suns and clouds.

In the lower right corner of the Friends mural are a series of handprints, created by the children who were in the Friends Association emergency shelter program this past summer.

The hope of those gathered at a Nov. 14 dedication of the mural was to offer three things: To highlight the work of the Friends Association, to highlight the plight of Chester County and West Chester citizens who are homeless, and to bring more public art to West Chester.

 “Our hope is that for the people that pause to take in the mural, that they’ll see its message about housing, that it will remind them of Friends’ role in our community and it will be a catalyst for change to inspire them and every citizen to be part of the solution to end homelessness in Chester County,” said Friends CEO Jennifer Lopez at the dedication.

“At this 200-year milestone, the mural celebrates our belief that opportunity begins when people have safe, healthy and affordable housing and a place to call home. It symbolizes our continuing commitment to serve our community and our dream of a Chester County where everyone has a home,” she said.

Mural creator Noah Burns received the key to the city of West Chester from Mayor Lillian L. debaptiste.

Burns described his inspiration for the work.

“As a Black artist and son of a Black man I wanted to feature me and what it means to be a Black person,” he said. “And secondly, the [Friends] Association did a really good job of hammering home the values they wanted exemplified.”

“This is public art and I hope people look at it, investigate it, see what it’s all about, see what the Association’s all about,” he said.

Burns and Mayor DeBaptiste both emphasized the importance of more public art in West Chester and hoped the mural would pave the way.

“Particularly as a person of color, it warms my soul to see all these wonderful shades of brown on this wall,” DeBaptiste said, as she thanked Burns for representing people of color in West Chester.

State Sen. Carolyn Commita, who once sat on the Friends Association board, said she saw the mural “come to life” as she went back and forth to her offices in West Chester.

Sen. Commita took the opportunity at the dedication to announce that Friends would be receiving $50,000 in state funding to support upgrades at its Family Center, which provides emergency housing for families. Six apartments there are being renovated and the funding will cover critical repairs and upgrades, she said.

State Rep. Diane Herrin (D-156) talked at the dedication about the need to go after the systemic problems of homelessness, mainly, the inability of many to access housing.

The Friends Association has helped almost 300 families this year get that access, she said.

Chester County’s three commissioners also offered remarks at the dedication.

Commissioner Marian D. Moskowitz said there are 28,000 people living below the poverty line in Chester County and 400 people dealing with homelessness. She said the way to defeat it in Chester County is to create “a circle that binds us together and that means that we have to help one another every day here.”

Commissioner Josh Maxwell thanked nonprofits like Friends Association for supporting the Chester County community by doing the hard work of distributing government funds to those who need it most. A portion of recent county grants went to housing and, specifically, the Friends eviction protection program, he said.

Commissioner Michelle Kichline said the work of the Friends Association is bold and creative, not only helping families in a crisis but connecting them to resources so they can remain in stable housing.

Shaun Bollig, deputy director for the Chester County Department of Community Development, described Friends Association as a “tremendous community asset,” a core member of the Chester County Partnership to End Homelessness.

“I want to express my gratitude for having such compassionate and exceptional staff like those here at Friends Association today,” he said.

About Friends Association

Friends Association provides programs and services that prevent homelessness and promote the independence of families with children in Chester County.

Friends uses a unique approach that focuses on keeping families together during times of crisis, whether it is single moms and dads, two-parent, multi-generational, grandparent, and LGBTQ+ families.

Clients receive personalized case management, community resources, and opportunities to develop new skills.

The goal is to empower families to build on existing strengths and skills, working together to build resiliency, stable housing, and financial independence.

Find out more about the Friends Association, and how to donate and help.