The 2024 “Point-in-Time” Count of people experiencing homelessness in our community will take place on the night of January 24 and during the day of January 25. The Point-in-Time Count is facilitated by the Lehigh Valley Regional Homeless Advisory Board (LVRHAB) 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 2023 Point-in-Time Count indicated that 465 households (made up of 686 people) were experiencing homelessness in Lehigh and Northampton counties; this represented a 6.6% increase since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands more people, many reeling from the impact of inflation and rising housing costs, were couch surfing or at imminent risk of becoming homeless. There was a 32% increase in people experiencing unsheltered homelessness between 2022 and 2023; that number is anticipated to increase dramatically this year.

While the Point in Time 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, in 2023, nearly 1,500 households contacted Connect to Home, the Coordinated Entry System (CES) for the region seeking help either through a walk-in site or by calling 211. 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 590 students in Northampton County and 831 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
www.socialtmarketing.com