Homelessness has hit record levels, and snow is coming. This should be our new mayor’s immediate priority.

After her historic victory, Mayor Cherelle Parker is no doubt weighing countless priorities as Philadelphia’s 100th mayor. With temperatures dropping and winter approaching, Parker must make one action an immediate priority: increasing the number of emergency shelter beds in our city.

Homelessness is increasing in Philadelphia and around the country. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, more than 653,000 people were homeless in the United States on a single night in 2023. That’s astonishingly high, and it’s also a record. It’s 12% more than the previous year and the largest number of people reported to have experienced homelessness since the agency began using annual point-in-time surveys in 2007.

In Philadelphia, 4,725 people were homeless, according to the same survey. That’s probably better than where we were as a city before the pandemic, but it’s also higher than in 2022, when 4,489 people were homeless. At 5.25%, it’s also the largest overall annual increase in homelessness that this city has seen in at least 15 years, according to our calculations.

What’s more, the magnitude of the problem is likely worse, since those figures come from the annual point-in-time count, which tends to undercount people who are unsheltered and homeless, youth homelessness, women with children, and survivors of domestic violence.

At Project HOME, we’ve been on the front lines of fighting homelessness since 1989. We know how devastating winters can be, and we have seen the consequences of inadequate preparation. Each winter, Philadelphia adds roughly 300 seasonal shelter beds to the city’s existing inventory, but they simply are not enough. A robust winter plan must include plans to address projected surges in demand, with shelter capacities that are sufficient to meet the needs of all unsheltered people who want to come in, particularly women, children, and families.

We know that domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness for families, but too often our systems are unable to meet the demand for safe emergency housing. If someone in Philadelphia is experiencing homelessness or is at risk of homelessness, we encourage them to call the 24-Hour Homeless Outreach Hotline at 215-232-1984 or 877-222-1984. And yet, when women call the hotline, night after night, only to find that there are no more family beds, eventually they stop calling. In too many of those instances, we can only reach the worst conclusions.

As we enter the coldest time of the year, we urge Mayor Parker to ensure that Philadelphia has ample beds for families with children by including family beds in our winter emergency plan, and by providing hotel vouchers for times when even those beds are not enough to meet the increased demand.

A new administration is an opportunity to take stock, forge new partnerships, and tackle issues with new vision and energy. As the mayor and her team turn their attention to homelessness, they must look beyond emergency shelter to long-term solutions — namely, rental assistance and permanent supportive housing.

Eviction moratoriums, diversion programs, and rental assistance prevented many low-income renters from losing their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Rescue Plan includes $5 billion to address homelessness and $42 million in one-time funds specifically for Philadelphia. Those dollars can be used to develop housing and social services for people who are experiencing homelessness and, importantly, to provide vital rental assistance in Philadelphia. But we must do more.

Currently, among all households eligible for federal rental assistance, only one out of four receives it, simply because there isn’t enough funding. Congress must deepen its investment in federal rental assistance, and the city must enforce the prohibition against source of income discrimination in our Fair Practices Ordinance. According to the Housing Equality Center of Pennsylvania, source of income discrimination often occurs due to “an unwillingness to consider certain types of lawful income” when determining whether someone is a qualified tenant, particularly when an applicant is receiving rental assistance through a housing choice voucher.

People who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness, need the same opportunities we all do: safe, decent, affordable housing, quality education, employment, and access to health care. Affordable housing — paired with services — will end and prevent homelessness and enhance the quality of life for the entire community. We’ve seen the power of funding and partnerships to transform people’s lives, but ultimately, our shared success will depend on strong leadership and an enduring commitment to our shared vision — none of us are home until all of us are home.

Sister Mary Scullion is the cofounder and executive director of Project HOME.