PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia officials said the annual census of the city’s unhoused population shows a decrease in overall homelessness.
Mayor Cherelle Parker said she wanted to end street homelessness in Philadelphia and this year’s Point-in-Time Count shows she’s making progress. Volunteers and city workers in February counted 711 people living unsheltered, down from 2025, when more than 1,100 people were counted outside. It’s the first decrease in two years.
There was a slight increase in homeless people living in temporary shelter, at 4,452 people, up 2% from last year. However, the total number of homeless — 5,163 people — is 7% lower than last year’s count.
Josh Shipper, senior director of Advocacy and Public Policy for Project HOME, said he was awaiting more analysis of the data but found the raw numbers promising.
“We’re obviously very pleased with what we’re seeing and we would attribute the decline in unsheltered homelessness to the mayor’s initiatives to increase the overall shelter capacity,” he said.
Homeless Services Executive Director Cheryl Hill said the city has added 800 beds to the system, along with more services and more engagement.
“We are trying to provide services and resources that benefit both the unsheltered and our housed residents, because being able to end street homelessness in Philadelphia benefits everyone,” she said, adding that the PIT Count numbers were encouraging.
“I think it means that what we are trying to do is working and we should try to continue to increase the resources for unsheltered people.”
While Parker has made ending street homelessness a goal of her administration, her proposed short-term rental tax to fund the plan was rejected by City Council.
The census of the city’s unhoused population found a 7% reduction in overall homelessness
The census of the city’s unhoused population found a 7% reduction in overall homelessness
