How many people are homeless in Philadelphia?

About 5,700 are considered to be homeless in the city, which includes about 950 who are unsheltered. Philadelphia has the lowest number of street homeless per capita of any of the largest cities in the US.

Why do so many people experience homelessness?

Homelessness is caused by many factors; poverty, inability to afford a place to live, falling outside the system all make it more difficult to meet requirements for housing. Sometimes mental illness contributes. The Opioid crisis has caused many new people to become homeless. Homelessness in Center City is more visible now due to construction and fewer public spaces for people to live unnoticed. Kensington also has high numbers, but it is a city-wide issue.

It is important to understand that not all people that are on the street are homeless. Some are travelers, passing through from city to city, without means or desire for housing. Many panhandlers are not necessarily homeless, but no less in need of aid to break the cycle.

Why don’t you just move people?

It is not a crime to be homeless or to have a mental illness. Nor is it a crime to sit, occupy or sleep in public spaces. We do not arrest people for being homeless. An arrest decreases their opportunities to become housed and raises the costs for the public sector. We are working to find a way to offer aid to those in need of a place to live, while protecting the rights of residents, businesses, and visitors.

Why are people walking around with bags full of stuff?

In all likelihood, the individual is not in one of our programs or they are more comfortable being surrounded by their possessions. Hoarding can be an indicator of mental illness, but part of the tragedy of homelessness is that people lose everything so they may naturally hold onto whatever little they have. The City’s emergency housing programs do generally provide storage for people’s belongings.

What is the City doing about homelessness?

Together with our many nonprofit partners, the City provides 11,503 emergency, temporary, and permanent “beds.” Last year we helped 970 families and individuals go from homeless to housed. Our permanent housing programs have an average 90% success rate in preventing a return to homelessness. Even with these efforts, the supply of affordable housing doesn’t keep pace with the demand.

What does Homeless Outreach do?

Outreach engages street homeless individuals on a daily basis to offer hope, resources, and opportunities, such as emergency shelter, treatment options for mental health and substance use disorders, medical services, etc. It focuses on developing trusting relationships with individuals on the street, through ongoing rapport and consistency, that assist individuals in addressing barriers to coming inside.

Outreach can:

• Offer housing options for those who are interested
• Transport those who are interested to housing, medical, psychiatric, or other resources
• Call in a “302” (involuntary psychiatric hospitalization) in situations that warrant action
• Never give up on an individual and continue to engage them until they are ready and willing to get off the street and connected to necessary supports and services

Outreach cannot:

• Physically move people
• Move people’s belongings or clean up any trash they may have left behind
• Address illegal behavior (this is for police)

Questions for Commercial Corridors

The City’s Office of Homeless Services (OHS) provides coordination, planning, leadership, and funds to support the work of our citywide provider network. OHS works in close partnership with the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disabilities (DBHIdS) which provides outreach, treatment, and recovery services. We all work closely with the Philadelphia Police Department to protect residents and visitors.