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The number of people experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia has dropped by about 7%, according to new city data.
Volunteers, nonprofits and city workers who conducted Philly’s annual point-in-time census count on Feb. 25 found that 5,163 people were living in shelters and outside on the streets, down from the 5,516 people recorded the prior winter.
Among those experiencing homelessness, about 711 people were living or sleeping outside, which represented a 39% drop from the previous year, according to count results released Wednesday.
It is the first decrease in unsheltered homelessness that the city has seen in two years, officials said.
“The [point-in-time] results are encouraging, but they still demonstrate the need for continued work to expand shelter, outreach, behavioral health services and affordable housing so every Philadelphian has access to safe, stable places to live,” Cheryl Hill, executive director of the city Office of Homeless Services, said in a statement.
Another 4,452 individuals and families were counted as living in emergency shelters and transitional housing.