READING, Pa. – At last night’s Reading City Council meeting, the growing issue of homelessness was a topic of discussion.

The executive director of the Berks Coalition to End Homelessness, Elise McCauley, says that about 60-70% of people experiencing homelessness right now have never been homeless before, but the issue is multifaceted, and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to fix it.

“We know that there’s at least an 8% increase in homelessness since our prior year’s count. That’s just for Berks County,” says McCauley.

She tells WFMZ that in any given school year in Berks County, there are about 2,000-2,500 students experiencing homelessness, only half of whom are in Reading.

“CYS recently reported at a public meeting that their highest reason for kids getting separated from their parents is now because of a lack of adequate housing, which has never been the case before, so that statistic was extremely alarming to us,” says McCauley.

There are also other sects of the unhoused population, including veterans, folks facing financial burdens, and those struggling with addiction or mental health, and winter is approaching.

“This past year, there were at least four deaths due to people who were living outside being exposed to the weather,” says McCauley.

The coalition presented to the Berks County commissioners about the issue, asking for funding and collaboration.

The City of Reading is also working on the issue, looking to increase funding to create a day-space for people to go.

“On the other side of the conversation, we’re so focused on building more units in the city at both workforce level and market rate, just getting people spaces that they can afford,” says Jack Gombach, the managing director of the City of Reading.

The coalition says more outreach is needed. It also has several committees working on different aspects of the strategic plan.

“Some are attacking the severe weather, which is what this policy came out of. Some are attacking that homeless prevention piece, zoning reform,” says McCauley. “So, it’s really a comprehensive approach to working on this issue.”

The city’s managing director says it’s important for regional and countywide partners to also help with making investments in this issue, because it’s not just a Reading problem.