Council orders two new hearings: a year in Kensington, and people living on the street
Resolutions 260899 and 260900 passed Oct. 22. Unsheltered homelessness fell 39% in this year's winter count. Here is what the hearings will cover and who signed on.
City Council on Oct. 22 authorized two sets of hearings on the problems that shape daily life in Kensington and on many other blocks: addiction and people living outside. One will look back at the past year in Kensington. The other will examine unsheltered homelessness on sidewalks and other public rights-of-way (Oct. 22 meeting).
The next day, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker attended a community resource fair at the Kensington Wellness Support Center recognizing the Police-Assisted Diversion team, according to her schedule as listed in Billy Penn's morning roundup.
The two resolutions
Resolution 260899 authorizes the Special Committee on Kensington to hold a hearing on "the progress of the last year, the current state of affairs, as well as future barriers and goals." Our record lists no sponsor for it. Council formed the special committee in 2024 with 7th District Councilmember Quetcy Lozada as chair and Curtis Jones Jr. as vice chair. Mark Squilla, Mike Driscoll, Jim Harrity and Nina Ahmad were the other members, Star News Philly reported at the time.
Resolution 260900, from 5th District Councilmember Jeffery Young Jr., authorizes joint hearings by the Committee on Streets and Services and the Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development and the Homeless. They will look at how common unsheltered homelessness is in public rights-of-way and how well the city coordinates its resources to connect people with help. It lists 10 sponsors: Young, Anthony Phillips, Isaiah Thomas, Harrity, Katherine Gilmore Richardson, Kendra Brooks, Driscoll, Nicolas O'Rourke, Ahmad and Lozada.
Both were adopted on the day they were introduced. Neither has a hearing date yet.
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The numbers behind the hearings
The city's 2026 Point-in-Time Count, taken on one winter night in February, found 711 people unsheltered, down from 1,178 a year earlier, a 39% drop, the Philadelphia Tribune reported. Total homelessness fell to 5,163 from 5,516, while the number of people in shelters and transitional housing rose to 4,452. Office of Homeless Services Executive Director Cheryl Hill said the results are encouraging but show "the need for continued work to expand shelter."
A single-night winter count can miss seasonal changes. Hearings in the fall may show a different picture from the February snapshot.
The Kensington Wellness Support Center, on Lehigh Avenue, offers medical care, addiction treatment and social services, and added a courtroom for same-day hearings this year, 6abc reported.
What our records add
The same session authorized hearings on Philadelphia Gas Works shutoffs, as we reported. Hearing resolutions are easy to pass. The harder step is scheduling: Council's student SEPTA fare hearing came 159 days after its resolution, while the jail health care hearing is coming 34 days after its resolution.
What's next
Watch the meetings calendar for dates. Hearing notices are also posted on the Legistar calendar. Testimony at both hearings is open to the public.