Bridging Blocks | The Housing Crisis: Houselessness, Rising Rent, and the Challenges of Buying a Home

A January 2024 point-in-time study found that more than 5,000 Philadelphians were dealing with homelessness. That’s a 10% increase from a comparable period the previous year and the third consecutive year that the city saw a bump in the number of unhoused people. Those numbers do not account for all of the city’s homeless population because many Philadelphians conceal their housing situation and are unaccounted for in the city’s data on homelessness. 

“The Invisible Unhoused” are our friends, coworkers and family members living in temporary conditions by “couch surfing” with friends or living out of their cars. What are some of the challenges they face, and what barriers prevent Philadelphia from solving this housing crisis?

According to the 2024 Point-In-Time homelessness count conducted by Philadelphia’s  Office of Homeless Services, the number of homeless Philadelphians increased for the third consecutive year. In 2024, the total number of homeless people reached 5,191, up from 4,725 the previous year — a 10% increase. OHS also counted a total of 976 unsheltered people, or those without any form of shelter, as opposed to those who might be temporarily in shelters or other transitional housing, which represents a 38% increase from the year before, and a 16% increase from the pre-pandemic count in the winter of 2020.

Considering the increasing number of individuals experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia, this event aims to foster collaboration and discuss the most effective ways to address the root causes and find lasting solutions.

Conversations about the systemic challenges, needs, and potential strategies for reducing homelessness in Philadelphia.
 

Join WHYY News Community & Engagement team for Bridging Blocks, a civic dialogue series in partnership with The Free Library of Philadelphia.

Host - Tony Cuffie Senior Manager Community & Engagement, WHYY News

Moderator - Brisa Luzzi Castro Community Convener, WHYY News

Bridging Blocks, a partnership between The Free Library of Philadelphia and WHYY, is made possible by a generous grant from Fred and Barbara Sutherland