PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Scores of volunteers hit the streets of Philadelphia Wednesday night for the annual Point-in-Time Count of the number of homeless people in the city.
Around 200 volunteers were broken up into teams, focusing on particular zones throughout Philadelphia. They tallied the number of homeless people out on the streets, in subway platforms and other locations from 11 p.m. Wednesday through 4 a.m. Thursday.
“It helps us understand the trends of what’s happening in the city,” said Cheryl Hill, executive director of the city’s Office of Homeless Services. “We get to see if homelessness is on the rise or if some of the services and programs are actually having an impact and hopefully helping to reduce homelessness in Philadelphia.”
The count was delayed by about a month due to the big winter storm and prolonged deep freeze in January. There were concerns that the process would not be accurate, as many people were staying in temporary shelters at the time. City officials got approval from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to delay the federally mandated count.
The data, which is collected in cities across the country, is used to determine federal and local resources that are needed to address homelessness.
In 2025, Philadelphia counted 1,178 people experiencing homelessness, a 20% increase from 2024, according to city officials.
“The 1,000 shelter beds that we are adding are so important — a lot of that was decided based off the Point-in-Time Count last year,” Hill said.
But the process isn’t just about the statistics. City officials who addressed the volunteers, including Mayor Cherelle Parker, encouraged them to connect with the people they would encounter.
Brittney DiBlasio, one of the team leads for the count, knows how important that is.
“I myself am in recovery and also struggled from homelessness for 10 years,” she said. “I ran the streets, so I relate to all these people. And I feel as though that because I’m somebody that’s been where they are, they take trust in me, open up to me quickly, and let me help them navigate their next steps.”