The PIT count, conducted by the Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition on January 22, 2025, revealed a total of 546 individuals experiencing homelessness in Lancaster County. The 2025 PIT count data displayed 482 individuals were in sheltered locations on the night of the count and 64 individual were unsheltered.
The Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition, is an administrative entity that manages local homelessness programs, spreads funding to local service providers and conducts the congressionally mandated annual Point in Time (PIT) Count. The count is a census of sheltered and unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness on a single night in January.
Slight increase in sheltered count
The sheltered count of 482 increased from the 475 individuals counted in 2024. 62% of sheltered individuals were staying in an emergency shelter facility and 38% were in transitional housing in 2025. This mirrors the split between emergency shelter and housing programs in 2024.
Multiple factors played a role in this minor adjustment. Tenfold supplied an additional 31 emergency shelter beds, the shot-term closure of minimal family shelter beds resulted in a net loss of emergency shelter capacity.
Christopher Thomas, data compliance analyst for the Office for the Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition stated “the situation of sheltered homelessness on the 2025 count is similar to what we saw last year, with gains in some parts of the system being offset by short-term losses in others. It’s important to note that the temporary shelter operated by Tenfold in its garage made a huge difference.”
Decreased unsheltered count
The unsheltered count showed a prominent decrease, with 64 individuals identified compared to 122 in 2024. This figure only represents the third-highest unsheltered count on record for Lancaster County.
The severe cold weather on the night of the count, with temperatures reaching minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit, may have played a pivotal role in this decrease as individuals looked for indoor shelter. While individual adults had the opportunity to use available emergency shelter beds, this trend was not utilized for families with children due to limited existing capacity and operational models within family shelters.
“The 2025 count, while lower than the previous year, involved the dedicated effort of 60 volunteers who connected with individuals across the county on the coldest night. Despite this decrease, the count remains one of the highest unsheltered totals Lancaster County has recorded.” said Thomas. “In planning for the 2026 count, we will explore strategies that focus on bringing unsheltered people in to be counted as a way of handling the more dispersed conditions we saw in 2025.”
Overall count maintains record levels
This years count is the second-highest count on record for Lancaster County in the decade since 2015, and the fifth highest ever PIT count since 2009. “It’s important to remember that the PIT Count denotes only a single night and does not fully represent the ongoing and broader need for homelessness services in our community,” said Deb Jones, director of the Office for the Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition.
Planning ahead
Looking towards the future, the Coalition will explore strategies to improve the accuracy of future PIT counts such as expanding the post-count efforts at day shelters and day centers to find individuals who may not have been visible on the night of the count.
“Technology has enhanced recent PIT counts. This year volunteers used an app-based survey…. Our goal each year is to build on previous success and continuously improve the county-wide process.” said Thomas.
Housing and Homelessness Strategic Plan (HHSP)
The Lancaster County Housing & Redevelopment Authority and the Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition are joining forces to develop a comprehensive 3-year Housing and Homelessness Strategic Plan (HHSP). A virtual stakeholder kick off meeting will be held May 21, 2025, from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m to gain community input for the initiative. The meeting is open to all community members and will provide an overview of the strategic planning process and offer attendees opportunities to share their ideas, opinions, and recommendations. Click here to register.
If you would like to support the work of the Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition donations can be made at LCHRA website. Donations will support local initiatives of street outreach to unsheltered individuals, financial assistance for clients to become housed, and the creation of affordable housing units.
