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NORRISTOWN, PA — Homelessness remains a major issue in Montgomery County, with institutional issues leaving hundreds without a permament home and dozens routinely sleeping outside.
The latest figures come from the January 2023 point in time count, which estimates the total number of homeless individuals in the county on one given night. Government officials worked with shelters, nonprofits, and other community organizations to identify groups, which they said led to a significant increase in this year’s numbers.
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A total of 357 homeless individuals were counted in 2023’s event, including 217 in an emergency shelter, 30 in a transitional housing facility, and 110 sleeping outside. While the overall number was a 37 percent decrease from 2022 because of the individuals in temporary shelters due to Hurricane Ida last year, a key number — 110 sleeping outside — stuck out markedly to authorities.
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“We have made progress overall in bringing the number of unhoused people down over the years, but it is completely and morally unacceptable to find more than 100 of our fellow citizens living without a roof over their heads,” Montgomery County Commissioners Ken Lawrence Jr. said in a statement. “We need to work together at all levels of government, including with our municipal partners, to ensure we more fully address this issue.”
The study is yet another reminder of what officials have already known has been a growing problem over the past several years. The pandemic and inflation only exacerbated underlying systemic issues like income inequality and an insufficient safety net, and society’s most vulnerable are paying the price.
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The Montco 30% Project, a nonprofit dedicated to advocacy for affordable housing policies, held a major rally in Norristown in April that was attended by numerous lawmakers and local dignitaries. At the time, they said they needed county leaders to work more closely with municipalities on improving zoning barriers, as well as repurposing empty or abandoned buildings. That will help develop more housing at below market rates. The state budget can be improved as well, they added, by placing in more opportunities for grants for tiny home construction.
During that rally, State Rep. Izzy Smith-Wade-El (D-49) called the current situation in Montgomery County and across Pennsylvania “a profound moral failure.”
The county is trying, but officials put the crisis simply: “systemic drivers into homelessness have been stronger than the ability to quickly re-house households experiencing homelessness.” And numbers could get worse.
According to the Montgomery County Planning Commission, there are only 37 affordable rental units per 100 households making below $35,000 a year countywide. Moreover, more than 65 percent of renter households below the $35,000 a year threshold pay more than 50 percent of their monthly income toward rent and utilities.
The county’s proposed budget for 2023-24 includes $1.2 million dedicated to combatting homelessness, while $32.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding has been allocated for 325 new affordable housing units and two temporary housing facilities in the county.
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