For years the Ben Franklin Parkway has been the site of weekly, monthly, and annual homeless outreach meals organized by various groups based in the Philadelphia area. Whether members of the homeless population had congregated in that area previously or the feedings drew them to the Parkway is lost to memory.

As November’s City Council election draws nearer and the temperature outside begins to fall, life will become harder for the Philadelphians who call the streets their home. Democratic At-Large City Council candidates Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, Bill Green, and Councilman Bill Greenlee have plans on how to help those people on the streets and help prevent homelessness. The other Democratic At-Large City Council candidates had not responded at deadline.

The upcoming Philadelphia City Council election is the first since Mayor John Street's 2005 announcement of Philadelphia’s Ten Year Plan To End Homelessness. The Ten Year Plan is not mentioned on the websites of Republican At-Large City Council candidates Frank Rizzo, Jr., David Oh, or Patricia Mattern, but each provided a detailed position on the issue of homelessness. Jack Kelly's campaign had not responded at deadline.