City of Philadelphia
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Philadelphia’s new push to get to “a functional zero in homelessness” — meaning no one seeking shelter is turned away for lack of space — will depend in large part on creating enough new beds in existing buildings and upgrading shelters to make them more welcoming, officials say.
Not only does the city not have enough beds, especially during crush times like January’s stretch of below-freezing days, but unsatisfactory conditions sometimes turn people off from going to shelters at all, said Cheryl Hill, executive director of the Office of Homeless Services.
The agency’s last Point-in-Time or PIT count, in January 2025, found 1,178 people living on the street and another 4,438 in some kind of shelter. The follow-up count took place last Wednesday night through Thursday morning, with the results to be released later this year.