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HOMELESSNESS IN PHILADELPHIA
Homelessness in Philadelphia
By: Maureen Garafano, One Step Away
Every year, with the support of hundreds of volunteers, the Office of Homeless Services (OHS) conducts a Point-In-Time (P-I-T) Count to survey the number of Philadelphians experiencing homelessness on a single night. This count provides the homeless assistance community with the data needed to understand the number and characteristics of people experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia.
The term unsheltered population refers to individuals sleeping in any location not designed for or ordinarily used as sleeping accommodations for humans — such as on the streets or in SEPTA transportation centers, abandoned buildings, cars, or public parks. Sheltered population is a term that includes persons experiencing homelessness that are staying in an emergency shelter, transitional housing project, or safe haven.
In order for a person to be considered chronically homeless, they must have a disabling condition, and their homeless experience must be at least one year long. An individual can also be considered chronically homeless if they have had at least four occasions of homelessness that are equivalent to one year in length.
The Office of Homeless Services (OHS) tracks its progress toward ending homelessness by measuring how many individuals are entering the homeless system for the first time, the length of time an individual experiences homelessness, and the number of individuals who return to homelessness after exiting the system. The goal of the Office of Homeless Services is to “make homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring”. These goals are aligned with the national goals for addressing homelessness established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The Office of Homeless Services’ goals to make homelessness rare begins with aiding households that are at risk of experiencing homelessness by emphasizing prevention and diversion strategies. They also build partnerships with an array of organizations in order to allocate resources effectively. In 2019, 12,651 persons entered a housing assistance project for the first time.
According to OHS, “since 2016, we’ve reduced family homelessness by 25 percent. That’s over 200 families. Simultaneously, and thanks to [PIT] data, we know we’ve reduced the street homeless growth rate by 86 percent over the past three years.”
The average length of stay in an emergency shelter and safe haven indicates the ability of the homeless system to move people out of homelessness. The Housing First Approach strives to move individuals into housing as quickly as possible by removing barriers necessary to allow households to enter housing assistance projects. The average length of time individuals were enrolled in an emergency shelter, safe haven, or transitional housing in 2019 was 161 days, down from 233 days in 2018.
In order to track the community’s progress towards making homelessness non-recurring, the Office of Homeless Services tracks the number of persons who exited to a permanent housing destination and then re-entered a housing assistance project. In 2019, 85 percent of individuals who exited a project for a permanent housing destination did not return to homelessness. “The reason we’re able to progress is because of the hard work of our amazing provider community, the dedication of volunteers and workers, the leadership from City Council and the Mayor’s Office, and the collaborative, can-do approach of Philadelphians,” said OHS Director Liz Hersh.
The June 2019 Point-in-Time Count statistics are referenced above. In Philadelphia, the P-I-T count occurs in June and January each year. The most recent count was taken on January 22 from 10:30 PM to 4:00 AM the next morning. The data collected will be publicly available and submitted to Washington in April.
