Homelessness still a problem in Bucks
DEBBIE HENRY
Issue date: 4/13/09 Section: Features
When 45-year-old Brian
Kelly was found dead of
probable hypothermia in his
tarp shack in Bristol
Township early last month,
many were no doubt
shocked by the news.
However, in reality, the
only thing noteworthy about
the story was his actual
death, not the fact that he
was homeless and living in a
tent in the woods with several
others just like him.
William Burns, director of
the American Red Cross
homeless shelter on New
Falls Road, says the facility
has been full for months.
"This is not new," he says.
"There's a camp in
Morrisville with over a hundred
guys in it. Any wooded
area, you're going to find
homeless living there." He
mentions known camps in
Croydon and the "Tent City"
where Kelly was found.
Established in 1881 by
nurse Clara Barton, the
American Red Cross is well
known for its emergencyrelief
efforts in natural disasters
such as Hurricane
Katrina, but equally important
are the numerous local
community services the
organization performs.
Among them are providing
needed blood to area hospitals,
educational programs
on health and safety, and
emergency shelter for the
homeless.
Burns blames "endemic
poverty and absence of
affordable housing" for creating
the homeless problem.
More specifically he cites a
lack of affordable housing
for an increasing number of
people that fall into a lowincome
bracket.
Though one of the wealthier
counties in the nation,
Bucks has a surprisingly
high poverty rate. In 2007,
the U.S. Census Bureau estimated
that 32,000 individuals
(out of a population of
approximately 621,000) fell
below the federal poverty
threshold. It is sobering that,
with a 5.2 percent poverty
rate, Bucks alone accounts
for nearly half of the poor
population for the entire
state of Pennsylvania.
The National Coalition for
the Homeless, a non-profit
organization, asserts that
Kelly was found dead of
probable hypothermia in his
tarp shack in Bristol
Township early last month,
many were no doubt
shocked by the news.
However, in reality, the
only thing noteworthy about
the story was his actual
death, not the fact that he
was homeless and living in a
tent in the woods with several
others just like him.
William Burns, director of
the American Red Cross
homeless shelter on New
Falls Road, says the facility
has been full for months.
"This is not new," he says.
"There's a camp in
Morrisville with over a hundred
guys in it. Any wooded
area, you're going to find
homeless living there." He
mentions known camps in
Croydon and the "Tent City"
where Kelly was found.
Established in 1881 by
nurse Clara Barton, the
American Red Cross is well
known for its emergencyrelief
efforts in natural disasters
such as Hurricane
Katrina, but equally important
are the numerous local
community services the
organization performs.
Among them are providing
needed blood to area hospitals,
educational programs
on health and safety, and
emergency shelter for the
homeless.
Burns blames "endemic
poverty and absence of
affordable housing" for creating
the homeless problem.
More specifically he cites a
lack of affordable housing
for an increasing number of
people that fall into a lowincome
bracket.
Though one of the wealthier
counties in the nation,
Bucks has a surprisingly
high poverty rate. In 2007,
the U.S. Census Bureau estimated
that 32,000 individuals
(out of a population of
approximately 621,000) fell
below the federal poverty
threshold. It is sobering that,
with a 5.2 percent poverty
rate, Bucks alone accounts
for nearly half of the poor
population for the entire
state of Pennsylvania.
The National Coalition for
the Homeless, a non-profit
organization, asserts that
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