Volunteers canvass Philadelphia streets for 'point-in-time' count of homeless population

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Volunteers canvassed cities across the country Wednesday night, including Philadelphia, in an effort to count the homeless population.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires the "point-in-time" count, which helps local officials make informed decisions on budgeting and advocacy for a part of the community that is in need.

Finding the exact number of those who are experiencing homelessness is particularly important this year since we've had very cold days in Philadelphia recently and now rainy weather. It's been miserable conditions for those who do not have a safe home to go to.

"It's really helping us understand the magnitude, the number of people who are experiencing homelessness in the city in a variety of different places. A lot of people who are doing this are volunteers who are donating their time to be here making this count," said Adam Thiel, Philadelphia's managing director.

All of those volunteers gathered in Love Park on Wednesday night before heading out to find people living on the streets and in shelters.

The point-in-time count happens nationwide around this time every year. Volunteers spend one night counting the people who are experiencing homelessness, whether they're living on the street or living in shelters.

They canvass from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. because they say there's less movement among the homeless population from sector to sector.

Officials say getting an accurate count is extremely important because it determines the level of funding for services that can be offered to those they encounter during the count.

The numbers in Philadelphia have gone up over the past few years.

In 2019, more than 5,700 people either lived on the streets or in shelters.

The number dropped in 2020 and 2021 but started rising again with last year's totals coming in at just over 4,700 people experiencing homelessness in the city.

"Lots of times we find men and women that are homeless, but they also have mental health issues. We also find folks that are still addicted to substances," said HUDvolunteer, Scott Willson.

Action News also spoke with an intern with the city's Office of Homeless Services, who focuses on connecting youth to programs by listening to their struggles.

"Just all aspects of life and what they're going through, I help them with," said youth leader Intern Shamya Ruff, with the Office of Homeless Services.

They finished the overnight count at 4 a.m. Thursday.

Later Thursday, they'll be back out to focus on young adults ages 18- 24 who are experiencing homelessness.