Breaking Bread Community Shelter<\/a> in Upper Darby.<\/p>\nBreaking Bread had been operating a shelter in Philadelphia for 12 years when it was relocated to 107 Long Lane in 2022 at the invitation of county council to open a low-barrier shelter in Delaware County.<\/p>\n
The shelter was able to purchase the building with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funds to house 17 adults.<\/p>\n
However, Luke Stivala, Breaking Bread\u2019s executive director, said they didn\u2019t know that they were responsible for needed $1 million renovations at the site.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wouldn\u2019t have signed a contract,\u201d he said. \u201cWe would\u2019ve stayed in Philly.\u201d<\/p>\n
That combined with a deep cut in county funding, Stivala said Breaking Bread isn\u2019t sure what the organization will do.<\/p>\n
While the renovation situation is being figured out, the shelter found a temporary home across the street. However, there, the cost is $12,000 a month in rent.<\/p>\n
Since their county funding was cut, the landlord gave them two months free rent but Stivala says options are becoming limited.<\/p>\n
He spoke about the cut in county funding.<\/p>\n
![\"Luke](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DTD-L-HOMELESS-0816-04.jpg\")
Luke Stivala, left, looks after the Breaking Bread shelter pets while residents are working. (KATHLEEN E. CAREY \u2013 DAILY TIMES)<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are we supposed to do with a 28% operating budget?\u201d he said, explaining that the county cut their funding to $246,000. \u201cWe\u2019re a county shelter. The township has luckily saved us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stivala said even if all the salaries were eliminated, it still wouldn\u2019t be enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not going to find donors to pay an operating cost of $500,000 every single year,\u201d he said. \u201cThe rent alone is $12,000 a month.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the frustration, he said he understands the situation, especially as they own the 107 Long Lane building.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly two buildings met the zoning requirements and HUD said it had to be near 69th Street,\u201d Stivala said. \u201cWe were never told we were responsible for all of the renovations. That\u2019s $1 million. I don\u2019t have $1 million so now, that\u2019s in limbo.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Residents](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DTD-L-HOMELESS-0816-05.jpg\")
Residents can keep possessions at the Breaking Bread shelter. (KATHLEEN E. CAREY \u2013 DAILY TIMES)<\/p>\n
At 107 Long Lane, the first floor and basement that house the kitchen and case management areas are complete, but the upper two floors that contain the sleeping areas have not been finished.<\/p>\n
\u201cGov. Shapiro is amazing. We did get the RACP grant but \u2026 you have to have the money first and then get reimbursed,\u201d Stivala said. \u201cI don\u2019t expect the county to have $1 million either. I\u2019m not pointing the fingers at the county either.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tightrope walk<\/p>\n
In the meantime, he\u2019s considering the options for Breaking Bread.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will have to close if the funding goes any lower or if we lose the township or the county\u2019s support,\u201d Stivala said. \u201cWe try to keep things cordial but we also have to finish the building but none of us have $1 million. We thank the county and we desperately look for other funding sources in the meantime but we need something. Right now, we\u2019re set to close in April.\u201d<\/p>\n
When they were in Philadelphia, they operated from November to April.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we operate like that, at least they have somewhere to go most of the year and they\u2019re not going to die of the cold,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Stivala said they are also considering going back to Philadelphia or going to a night-to-night shelter. Right now, residents are enrolled and stay from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. but with a night-to-night, it\u2019s first come, first serve.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to offer some kind of stability,\u201d Stivala said, adding that enrolling residents allows for staff to develop relationships with them and connect them to services. \u201cIt\u2019s the same people so I can keep working with them.\u201d<\/p>\n
It also allows for residents to stabilize with employment as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy priority isn\u2019t getting to Wawa on time if I\u2019m like, \u2018Oh shoot, I\u2019ve got to get in line for the shelter,\u2019 \u201d Stivala said.<\/p>\n
He noted that staff are awake and there are cameras everywhere.<\/p>\n
Another characteristic that makes Breaking Bread unique is it\u2019s policy for partners, possessions and pets, all of which are welcome at the Upper Darby shelter.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost shelters do not take pets,\u201d Stivala said, adding that he wasn\u2019t judging them. \u201cLike a Philly shelter with 200 beds. Where are you going to find room for a dog?\u201d<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cPets are part of your family and pet shelters are equally as overrun \u2026 It\u2019s not the owner\u2019s fault and it\u2019s not the pet\u2019s fault. You can\u2019t yell at them, \u2018Watch your dog all the time\u2019 plus, \u2018Go to work and pull yourself together.\u2019 Some of my guys have three jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stivala shared the story of Beka, one of his first clients in Delaware County. She had a husky named Belladonna. She, like the other residents at Breaking Bread, had a working plan towards stabilization.\u00a0 She left the shelter in August 2023 and comes back to volunteer.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s still housed, working at Target,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Stivala said Breaking Bread assisted 128 people from everything from avoiding eviction to job support from October to June.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thank the county for everything that they\u2019re doing,\u201d Stivala said. \u201cIt really is trump. We\u2019re devastated. We\u2019re trying our best. We\u2019re desperately calling for anybody out there who can help us. Even a $2 donation, that\u2019s a bus pass to get them to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Mkasafari](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DTD-L-HOMELESS-0816-02.jpg\")
Mkasafari Grace cuddles her kitty, Dots, at the Breaking Bread shelter where they live. (KATHLEEN E. CAREY \u2013 DAILY TIMES)
\nA grateful resident<\/p>\n
One Breaking Bread resident spoke of what the shelter meant to her.<\/p>\n
Mkasafari Grace found herself knocking on its door with her 2-year-old kitty, Dotts, on one of the county\u2019s Code Blue nights, when the temperature is under 32 degrees.<\/p>\n
\u201cBreaking Bread took me and my cat in,\u201d Grace said. \u201cI was out in the streets \u2026 We really need a shelter like this because there is no other animal shelter.\u201d<\/p>\n
As she described her cat, she beamed with joy.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s just adorable,\u201d she said. \u201cHe\u2019s such a well-behaved cat. He\u2019s clean. I love him so much.\u201d<\/p>\n
She was appreciative of what Breaking Bread offers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very grateful for Breaking Bread,\u201d Grace said. \u201cThe fact that we\u2019re not on the street, especially my cat, Dots, because during the day, I\u2019m still looking to find us a house \u2026 We need help a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
County comments<\/p>\n
Delaware County Department of Human Services shared a response to the situation with Breaking Bread.<\/p>\n
\u201cBreaking Bread opened with an unusually high level of County support to help it get established, including both the purchase of the property and supplemental operating funds,\u201d it said. \u201cThose supplemental dollars came from retained earnings in Delaware County\u2019s Human Services Block Grant, a funding source the state allows counties to carry over up to 5% from the prior year to meet urgent needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose retained funds were never guaranteed to be available every year. In recent years, the closure of Prospect and the loss of Crozer services created significant new costs to stabilize the local human services system, leaving no surplus to reallocate in the current budget cycle.<\/p>\n
\u201cImportantly, Delaware County has not cut funding to Breaking Bread or to services for people experiencing homelessness.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead, the temporary supplemental dollars that helped the shelter launch are no longer available because the Human Services Block Grant is now fully committed to its core programs, including mental health, intellectual disabilities and emergency supports.<\/p>\n
\u201cBreaking Bread remains an important partner in the county\u2019s efforts to support residents experiencing homelessness, and the county continues to fund the shelter at a level consistent with other long standing programs.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Delaware County continues to see an increase in need for homeless services as forewarned by field experts last…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":192581,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[212,182,139,28,210,147,149,148,150],"class_list":["post-192580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-upper-darby","tag-delaware-county","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-top-stories-dtd","tag-upper-darby","tag-upper-darby-headlines","tag-upper-darby-news","tag-upper-darby-township"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=192580"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192580\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/192581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=192580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=192580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Breaking](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DTD-L-HOMELESS-0816-03.jpg\")
Breaking Bread initially received a federal grant to purchase 107 Long Lane but $1 million-worth of renovations are needed. (KATHLEEN E. CAREY \u2013 DAILY TIMES)