Hundreds Show Up in Doylestown for the ‘Coldest Night of the Year’ in Solidarity with Bucks County’s Unhoused and Hungry

This past weekend, Doylestown Mayor Noni West stood before a crowd of more than 200 volunteers at the annual “Coldest Night of the Year” (CNOY) walk and fundraiser to explain the task at hand. “Tonight, you are showing up – with your time, your generosity and your commitment to ensuring no on in our community is left out in the cold.”

Standing before the Bucks County Justice Center, Mayor West reminded those who were about to march in solidarity with folks in need that, “For too many, this event is not symbolic. It is real. It is every night. It is uncertainty. It is wondering where you will sleep and how you will stay warm.”

And while Saturday evening’s temperatures hovered around 40 degrees, 2026 has provided record-setting, inhospitable weather conditions for folks without stable housing. West added, “This winter’s temperatures have been brutal for those without shelter. And yet, what defines Central Bucks is not the cold – it is the warmth of this community.”

Erin Lukoss, CEO of Bucks County Opportunity Council (BCOC) – one of the four partnering organizations that sponsored the event, agrees. BCOC works with 265 families and individuals working to gain self-sufficiency and stability. Through a precarious partnership pairing public with private funds, Lukoss and her colleagues are committed to lifting people out of poverty.

“This walk is about homelessness and hunger, but you can’t even begin to think about self-sufficiency, and building skills and changing your life, if you’re homeless or if you’re hungry. That’s foundational, once we can work on those things then we can start working on the rest of the picture.”

Over the past year, public agency administrators like Lukoss have faced funding threats federally – from sweeping executive orders that eliminate funding and dramatically change eligibilities. Compounding the insecurity coming down from the feds, Pennsylvania agencies endured a record long Pennsylvania budget impasse that squeezed small and large housing providers, advocates and shelters to the point of canceling programs and laying-off staff. 

In her 25 years at BCOC, Lukoss has seen first-hand how strong private partnerships help buffer the impact governmental instability can cause. And in a place like Bucks County, where median incomes are higher than most of the rest of Pennsylvania – a lot of their success hinges on getting the word out to would be donors and community partners. 

Lukoss says that a couple of hundred neighbors taking brisk walk in the cold does wonders for getting the word out. “We’re trying to raise awareness that homelessness and hunger are a part of our community and that it takes the community to help us address those issues. That’s why we bring everyone together so we can get people thinking about it and helping us raise money and putting resources toward this issue.”

READ: National Homeless Rights Advocates Praise Democratic Pennsylvania Lawmakers’ ‘Shelter First’ Bill

The advocate knows that working in wealthy communities the message can get lost. “In Bucks County poverty can be hidden. It’s here in Doylestown. It’s in Quakertown. It’s in Bristol, it’s all over our county. There are 40,000 people living in poverty in our county and that’s at the poverty level. 100%. There are more people living under 200% – people who are still struggling.”

Lukoss cautions that people who don’t know, can’t help. “I think people just don’t realize that there are many, many, many people in our county that are just a paycheck away from being evicted or from not having their car – and I don’t think that it’s a thoughtless thing.” 

Concluding, Lukoss offered hope. “I will say this, people certainly are aware and this community of Bucks County shows up and helps people. The philanthropic nature in our community is incredible. Just today we’ve raised almost 40,000 dollars for this event.

“We’re trying to raise awareness that homelessness and hunger are a part of our community and that it takes the community to help us address those issues.” – Bucks County Opportunity Council CEO Erin Lukoss

And that money will certainly help. Kristin DeForest, CEO for Family Service Association of Bucks County, reminds people that weather contributes to homelessness even as it is limiting the communities’ ability to provide adequate shelter. “I think in particular, the recent blizzard, truly is a wakeup call. So many of us stayed home or worked from home. Most of us were safe inside, while other individuals [and families] were without homes fighting for survival.”

And while Saturday evening’s weather was more temperate, DeForest cautions, “That storm has passed, but the danger of the cold remains. We’re walking with a goal to ensure that the next time a blizzard hits, fewer people are left wondering where they’re going to be able to go – essentially – to stay alive.”

And how can every day people help? “We’re really encouraging people to participate. Sponsoring, donating, volunteering.” 

Especially volunteering. Bucks County Code Blue Shelters are always looking for help.

While DeForest and her colleagues have their hands full now, new HUD regulations threaten to limit public housing stays to just two years. DeForest knows that won’t help. “It will dramatically increase the number of individuals experiencing chronic homelessness.” 

READ: Pennsylvania Homeless Advocates Condemn Trump’s Plans to Punish the Unhoused, Involuntarily Commit Them

It won’t just put currently housed folks out in the street; it will limit available rental prospects of the folks who move off waiting lists and into housing. DeForest elaborated, “With a two-year limit it also decreases the number of landlords who are willing to rent to the population. We’re already experiencing a lack of affordable housing. So yeah, it’s an incredibly scary time for the population right now and they’re feeling it.”

One of those folks who is afraid of what might happen to her subsidized housing is 68-year-old Dianne. (Her fear is so real, Bucks County Beacon agreed not to share her last name).

Dianne walked in last year’s CNOY out of gratitude and solidarity for the people who raised funds and helped her get on her feet. She said that this year it’s very different. That everyone where she lives is afraid. And the fear isn’t just limited to a threat of lost vouchers or subsidies. “I personally live in [public] housing. What’s going on with ICE right now is frightening.”

Dianne walked Saturday night because she felt needed to raise awareness the concerns she and other elders feel. And she’s glad she did. “Seeing my neighbors out here is hope.”

Among those neighbors was nine-year-old Leo Fields. His dad works at one of the agencies and brings home stories that motivated Leo to walk with him this year. “He talks about needing more buildings to house people. 

Trump’s Proposed Time Limit on HUD Subsidies Would ‘Devastate’ Low Income Families in Bucks County and Across Pennsylvania | If the two-year limit is enacted, evictions are expected to skyrocket, resulting in an increase in homelessness, reports @patlamarche.bsky.social.

— Bucks County Beacon (@buckscountybeacon.com) 2025-07-24T15:01:30.324Z

Leo speculated on what it would be like to experience homelessness, “It’s tough. Tough to sleep. You could get hypothermia. And that would be bad.”

Leo, a good student, says he thinks he’d do badly in school because, “I wouldn’t be focused.”

He added that whether winter or summer a car would be a terrible place to live. It’s too cold in the winter and in the summer, “it’s way too hot. Unless you have it [the car] on which would waste a lot of gas. And you wouldn’t have enough money for more gas.”

Dianne agrees. She and Leo see clearly why homelessness needs to be avoided.

Dianne concluded, “You may think [public housing] is a bad thing, but it’s not. They’re willing to help you with the issues you have.” Dianne knows, because Bucks County agencies helped her.