The 2025 “Point-in-Time” Count of people experiencing homelessness in our community will take place on the night of January 22 and during the day of January 23. The Point-in-Time Count is facilitated by the Lehigh Valley Regional Homeless Advisory Board in cooperation with homeless assistance programs, shelters, and emergency services. The LVRHAB is a consortium of representatives from City and County governments, social service agencies, veterans support groups, faith-based and other community organizations, homeless advocates, people who have or are experiencing homelessness, representatives from legislators’ offices, and other interested parties with a commitment to ending homelessness and housing insecurity in the Lehigh Valley.
Trained volunteers will conduct the Count, which is mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The data collected during this single point-in-time is crucial in helping to determine the need for services and to create strategies to end homelessness in our community.
The Lehigh Valley is experiencing an acute affordable housing crisis spurred by rapidly escalating housing costs, low housing inventory, and the expiration of pandemic-era financial supports (including rental assistance and SNAP benefits). These factors contribute to the increasingly precarious housing situation, which is exacerbated for marginalized low-income households.
The 2024 Point-in-Time Count of people experiencing homelessness indicated a 91% increase in unsheltered homelessness in the Lehigh Valley between 2023 and 2024. Since prior to the pandemic, the number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness increased by 138%. The number is anticipated to increase again this year.
While the PIT Count captures the number of people experiencing homelessness at a single moment in time, it doesn’t capture the magnitude of the problem over the course of the year. For example, last year, over 2,200 households were enrolled for homelessness services through Connect to Home, the Coordinated Entry System (CES). The CES coordinates access, assessment, prioritization, and referral for housing and supports for people experiencing homelessness or at imminent risk of homelessness.
Further, the most recent data from the Pennsylvania Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) indicates that 773 students in Northampton County and 1,113 students in Lehigh County schools were experiencing homelessness.
The Point-in-Time Count will take place in rural, suburban, and urban areas of Lehigh and Northampton counties. Interested reporters are invited to participate in the preparation for the Count and to speak to volunteers but will not be permitted to accompany volunteers during the actual Count in order to protect the privacy of the people being interviewed.
Information provided to TVL by:
Amiee Goldy
http://www.socialTmarketing.com/