Deputies at a homeless camp in Bristol Borough. Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Bucks County’s annual Point in Time (PIT) Count found an increase in the overall number of people experiencing homelessness compared to the previous year, according to a report issued this summer from the Bucks County Department of Housing and Community Development.
The 2025 count, which was conducted on Jan. 27, identified 421 people in Bucks County experiencing homelessness, a slight rise from the 407 recorded in 2024.
Of those counted, 312 were in emergency shelters, transitional housing, or hotels funded by charitable organizations, including 90 in Code Blue shelters. An additional 109 adults were found sleeping outdoors or in other places not meant for human habitation.
The survey, which is federally mandated and reported to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, showed several trends within the county’s homeless population.
The number of people sleeping outdoors or in a Code Blue shelter increased by 15 percent from 2024, and chronic homelessness rose by 7 percent. Chronic homelessness is defined as long-term or repeated episodes of homelessness for people with a disability.
Despite the overall increase, the count noted decreases in specific subgroups.
The number of homeless veterans dropped by half for the second consecutive year, and the count identified a 9 percent decrease in children experiencing homelessness.
For the ninth consecutive year, no children were found sleeping outdoors.
Additionally, the count found a decrease in unhoused people experiencing serious mental illness.
Staff and volunteers from the Housing Link Street Outreach teams led the count, which found that 72 percent of the households experiencing homelessness were located in Lower Bucks County, with 15 percent in Central Bucks County, and 13 percent in Upper Bucks County.
The report provided demographic data on the unhoused population, noting that 22 percent were over the age of 55 and 1 percent were veterans. It found that 13 percent of those experiencing homelessness had medical concerns that required immediate attention. Seven percent of the unhoused population had pets, with the majority being dogs or cats.
The homeless population reported addresses in various locations, including Bristol Township, Doylestown, Levittown, Langhorne, Quakertown, Bensalem Township, Tullytown Borough, Perkasie, Ohio, North Carolina, and New Jersey.
The methodology of the national PIT Count has drawn criticism in the past when the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty previously raising concerns about alleged methodological flaws and a definition of homelessness that some consider too restrictive.
Those experiencing a housing-related crisis can call the Bucks County Housing Link Helpline at 1-800-810-4434. The county has a website with additional information and resources.
