Local
Philly homelessness count falls 6%, but outdoor numbers rise in Center City and Northeast
More than 5,100 people were counted as experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia in 2026, down from last year, while the number living outside shifted among neighborhoods. The report found more people sleeping outdoors in Center City and the far Northeast, and fewer in Kensington.
More than 5,100 people in Philadelphia were experiencing homelessness in 2026, a 6% decline from last year, according to the city’s latest Point-in-Time count. The number of people sleeping outdoors rose in Center City and the far Northeast even as Kensington saw a decline, the report found.
More than 700 people were living on city streets at the time of the count. The report also recorded an increase in the number of people staying in shelters compared with 2025, alongside a drop in the unsheltered population overall.
“We’ve definitely been seeing more people experiencing homelessness in Center City in comparison to last year,” said Mike Johnson, development director for Philly House, a local homeless-services organization.
Johnson said the decline in Kensington coincided with additional law-enforcement activity there. He said the pattern suggests some people may be moving from places with more enforcement to areas with less. The report did not establish why individual people moved.
About 30% of Philadelphia’s unhoused population remains in Kensington, according to the count. Over a longer period, the city’s total unhoused population has grown 15.6% in five years, despite the year-over-year decline.
The figures point to an uneven picture across Philadelphia: fewer people counted overall than in 2025, but continued need for shelter and services, with outdoor homelessness becoming more visible in some neighborhoods.