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Commissioners hear differing point‑in‑time shelter counts and a resident account of housing loss
Summary
A commissioner reported changes in the county's point‑in‑time homelessness survey, including an increase in emergency shelter counts; a resident described housing loss and utility shutoffs during public comment.
Beaver County commissioners were given results from a recent point‑in‑time survey and heard a public comment from a resident describing how rising rents and utility shutoffs contributed to homelessness.
An unnamed commissioner who presented the point‑in‑time survey results said emergency shelter counts rose from 79 in 2024 to 96 in 2025 and that transitional housing counts were 9 in 2024 and 8 in 2025. The presenter said rapid‑rehousing tallies included “57 children,” and that total people in rapid rehousing measured 184 in 2025 compared with 101 in 2024. The speaker noted mixed trends across emergency shelter and permanent programs and said questions remain about the numbers.
During audience participation, Maria Wolf, a resident, described local housing instability in personal terms: “They either lost or leased. The rent went up too high. They can't afford a home. The utilities have been shut off,” she said, adding that some people who are housed in emergency shelters still work but lack stable housing.
The commissioner and staff discussed that families and people with jobs can still be unsheltered or reliant on emergency shelters and transitional programs. No new funding or program actions were approved at the work session; the discussion was presented for information and to prompt further questions about service needs and counts.
