An official at a Chester County organization that provides housing and education support for single women and mothers who are homeless or facing the danger of homelessness got a first-hand glimpse of President Joe Biden’s 2024 State of the Union Address on Thursday.

Matrie Johnson, director of programs at the East Whiteland-based Home of the Sparrow, was the invited guest of U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-6th, of Easttown, whose district includes all of the county and the southern part of Berks County.

“It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Johnson on Friday, after she and her husband, Fred Johnson, returned from Washington, D.C., where she had gone to college. “It was definitely interesting to see all of the different people and parties there.”

Johnson said she was not one of those people who gets all of her information from social media or video clips, and had paid attention to past State of the Union speeches.

“I was always a person who watched them,” she said. “I paid attention.”

Johnson was among a number of guests invited by Pennsylvania legislators to hear the speech delivered at the Capitol. Others included an educator from northern Berks County, hosted by U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-4th, of Glenside, Montgomery County, and a leader in the effort to expand opportunities for women in the skilled trades profession, who was invited by U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-5th, of Swarthmore, Delaware County.

In his address, Biden delivered a defiant argument for a second term, lacing into GOP front-runner Donald Trump, whom he referred to as “my predecessor,” for espousing “resentment, revenge and retribution” and for jeopardizing freedom at home and abroad.

Reveling in the political moment, Biden fired multiple broadsides at Trump without ever mentioning the former president by name raising his voice repeatedly as he worked to quell voter concerns about his age and job performance while sharpening the contrast with his all-but-certain November rival.

The scrappy tone from Biden was a sharp break from his often humdrum daily appearances and was intended to banish doubts about whether the 81-year-old president, the country’s oldest ever, is still up to the job.

For 68 minutes in the House chamber, Biden goaded Republicans over their policies on immigration, taxes and more, invited call-and-response banter with fellow Democrats and seemed to relish the fight.

“I know I may not look like it, but I’ve been around a while,” Biden deadpanned. “And when you get to my age certain things become clearer than ever before.”

Noting he was born during World War II and came of political age during the upheaval of the 1960s, Biden declared: “My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy. A future based on the core values that have defined America: honesty, decency, dignity, equality. To respect everyone. To give everyone a fair shot. To give hate no safe harbor.”

“President Biden did a great job articulating his vision for our nation’s future, which comes in stark contrast to the vision, or lack thereof, of the former President,” said Houlahan in a statement Friday. “I was glad to see he talked extensively about freedoms and democracy and the importance of strengthening our national security here at home and around the world.

“Most importantly, he laid out a comprehensive plan to build an inclusive economy from the bottom up and the middle out, which, again, comes in contrast to the failed notion of trickle-down economics,” she said. “Ultimately, we heard a message of hope rather than despair.”

To Johnson, what Biden said went beyond policies and politics.

“I think it was a speech designed to inform, and engage and uplift,” she said in a telephone interview.

In an announcement, Houlahan said of Johnson’s work with Home of the Sparrow that, “Matrie’s dedication to empowering those who face challenges in Chester County, particularly women and children, is truly inspiring.

“Bringing voices like Matrie’s into the national spotlight will help us continue to tackle a growing concern in our community: affordable housing,” she said. “I’m eager for Matrie to experience this memorable evening and hear President Biden’s vision for a country that continues growing the middle class from the bottom up and the middle out.”

Johnson, in the announcement, said she was “deeply honored” to have the opportunity to see the speech firsthand. She had met Houlahan previously while working on an initiative for child tax credits for women.

“As the director of programs at Home of the Sparrow, my commitment to empowering women in Chester County is unwavering.,” she said. “As a board member for both the Black Women of Chester County in Action and the West Chester Food Cupboard, I also know we must take a holistic approach to tackling complex issues. I look forward to sharing the stories of these organizations further, and I thank Rep. Houlahan for providing a platform to amplify voices that are working toward a more inclusive and prosperous future.”

Johnson oversees her organization’s five housing related programs, including the Women’s Reentry Assessment Program, or WRAP, Shared Housing, Supportive Eviction Prevention and Pre-Senior housing. In this role she leads a team of five counselors who implement the daily programming of supportive services and housing for women and their children beginning at age 18.

A resident of Easttown, she co-founded the Chester County Single Mothers’ Conference, which is a part of the Chester County Community Collaborative.

As for the others, Dean’s guest was Benjamin Hoffman, an educator, student and volunteer firefighter who is an art teacher at Kutztown High School, while Scanlon’s guest was Teila Allmond a coordinator and instructor for Rosie’s Girls – a program that seeks to expand opportunities for women in the building and construction trades.