In the woods along Route 13 in Bristol Township, there’s trash and needles and filth. Except for traffic, on this day, there’s only the sound of rain on the muddy path that leads to a silent tent where Marie Holly Waters lived and died.
Last month, Waters, 44, became at least the fifth homeless person in the last 13 months to die on the streets of Bucks County. She was found in the tent on the muddy grounds of the now uninhabited camp.
While there advocates say more are coming in on the coldest nights, seeking shelter, many remain in the elements for a handful of reasons.
Two days before Marie Waters was found dead in her tent, the commnity shelter at Woodside Presbyterian Church in Lower Makefield had nearly 60 people inside on that frigid night.
“We haven’t had those numbers in years,” said Karen Mineo, managing consultant for Advocates for the AHTN.
Meals distributed most evenings by nonprofit Advocates for the Homeless and Those in Need in Lower Bucks used to number 30 to 35 a night, but are now at 45 to 50. But even with that demand, other don’t come in.