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Homeless count expected to be about 6,000 in city, like 2015

In the pre-midnight cold, more than 300 people fanned out on Philadelphia streets to count the homeless. Around 3 a.m. Thursday, the job was over, the census of a complex, enigmatic population recorded for another year.

Melissa Clark interviews Michael Rossetti in Jefferson Station on the Market East SEPTA concourse.
Melissa Clark interviews Michael Rossetti in Jefferson Station on the Market East SEPTA concourse.Read moreTOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer

In the pre-midnight cold, more than 300 people fanned out on Philadelphia streets to count the homeless.

Around 3 a.m. Thursday, the job was over, the census of a complex, enigmatic population recorded for another year.

The so-called January Point-In-Time Count is carried out annually in cities on the same night throughout America, a requirement of the federal government.

By Thursday afternoon, the official results were not in, said Sister Mary Scullion, who runs Project HOME, which takes a lead role in the count. But she said it looked as if the January 2016 homeless population may be about the same as last year.

Last year, 5,328 people were in shelters during the count, while 670 were on the streets, according to the city's Office of Supportive Housing, which helps coordinate the count with other city and federal agencies.

"What was really amazing about last night was that volunteers who care about homelessness came out," Scullion said. The 370 people registered as volunteers, the most ever, officials said. Joining the volunteers were Mayor Kenney and White House chief of staff Denis McDonough.

Asked why McDonough was in town, Scullion reiterated a known paradox of poverty and homelessness in Philadelphia: While Philadelphia is the poorest of the 10 largest U.S. cities, with about 400,000 people living in poverty, it recorded 6,000 homeless last year, one of the lowest totals among big cities.

"He [McDonough] was in San Francisco at the count last year to see a large homeless population," Scullion said, "and he came here this year because he was curious to see what it looked like with low numbers."

McDonough could not be reached for comment.

One of the counted homeless was Leon Mayo, 56, who spent Wednesday night in the snow in Kensington.

The former Center City mail clerk said it was a cold evening.

"It's rough out here," he said. "People chase you, tell you that you can't lay on the sidewalk.

"Well, where do they expect us to go?"

alubrano@phillynews.com

215-854-4969 @AlfredLubrano