Delaware
A small rural town and a growing crisis: Why homelessness centers in Georgetown
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Georgetown has increasingly become a focal point for homelessness in southern Delaware, particularly within Sussex County’s rural landscape. The town’s role as the county seat, and the concentration of services that come with it, has shaped why people experiencing homelessness are more visible there than in surrounding municipalities.
A recent study surveying 247 people between October 2024 and May 2025 estimates that between 1% to 2% of Georgetown’s population may be experiencing homelessness, a rate significantly higher than that of similarly sized towns. The data was collected through sustained street outreach efforts largely in Georgetown and minimal additional outreach in the coastal and western side of Sussex County.
A glimpse into the data
Stephen Metraux, a professor of public policy at the University of Delaware who analyzed the survey data, said the findings confirm what service providers have long observed on the ground.
“Georgetown’s really gotten slammed with homelessness, as homelessness in Sussex has increased,” he said. “Georgetown did become kind of a hub, kind of more of a regional hub than a magnet.”
While more than 200 people initially engaged with the survey, many opted out before completing it, making the final dataset smaller than the total number of people contacted. Even so, Metraux said the results were striking, particularly looking at Georgetown’s population.
“Based on that data, we’ve got conservatively between 100 and 200 people on the streets at a given time in that survey database,” he said. “Of course, that survey database misses people. When you figure in people that she’s missed, you’re talking about 200 or 300 people, which is kind of the estimate that people are using for homelessness in Georgetown,” he added.
With Georgetown’s population at about 8,098 people as of 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Metraux said that estimate places homelessness at roughly 2%, a figure that stands out even when compared to major cities.
“And you do a comparison with the city of Philadelphia or any like larger cities, and a comparable percentage there is less than 1%,” he said. “You have a small town that’s slammed by homelessness right now and that was surprising.”
The data also shows that people experiencing homelessness in Georgetown are often long term. More than half of respondents reported being unhoused for over a year, a trend Metraux said is closely tied to a lack of housing availability and affordability.
“In Sussex, you have most of the housing construction at the higher end, you have zoning that makes it much harder to build a kind of multifamily housing,” he said. “Even lower-end housing, wages haven’t kept up with rising rents.”
An aging unhoused population is another growing concern. About 16% of respondents reported being homeless for more than 10 years, a pattern Metraux said reflects broader national trends.
“That’s not just in Delaware, but that’s nationwide,” he said. “A lot of them are receiving disability benefits, but those benefits are not enough to have sustainable housing unless you have some kind of a housing subsidy along with that.”
Delaware
Power outage number tops 13,000 in Delaware County as storm hits
Storms hit Saturday shortly before 3 p.m. in Delaware County with limbs down on lines, wires down, plus lightning strikes, and quickly nearly 8,000 PECO customers were without power.
There was an accompanying deluge as well in parts of the county, with many low-lying areas flooding. The power outage number continued rising to 10,365 by 3:10 p.m., and to over 13,000 by 3:30. By 4 p.m. that number began to decline.
The first lightning strike dispatch was to a house in the 100 block of Edgewood Avenue in Haverford Township, and crews were dispatched minutes later to the Five Guys on Town Centre Drive in Concord Township.
Crews arriving on both scenes reported nothing was evident, but they would investigate further, according to radio traffic.
Fire stations were also sent to a water rescue in the 2800 block of East County Line Road in Haverford. Police arrived first and reported that half the vehicle was underwater. The officer soon located the driver, who had gotten out and made it to safety, according to radio traffic.
Police, fire and ambulance dispatches continued rapid fire at 3:30 p.m. PECO was asked to respond to numerous locations. Numerous alarm calls were also received at the county communications center.
A National Weather Service-issued severe thunderstorm warning was in effect for eastern Delaware County until 3:30 p.m. There was also a flash flood warning for the same area until 6:45 p.m.
One rainfall measurement was available at 3 p.m. That was St. Davids, where 0.71 inch of rain was recorded in less than 45 minutes, eventual reaching eight-tenths of an inch.
The Philadelphia International Airport recorded 0.32 inch of rain.
Sunny skies were expected to dominate the weather for the workweek, with high temperatures rising into the 90s on Wednesday and likely to stay there at least through Friday.
Delaware
New information on “sophisticated cybercriminal attack” against Delaware County
Saturday, July 11, 2026 1:40PM
MEDIA, Pa. (WPVI) — There is new information about what is being called a “sophisticated cybercriminal attack” against Delaware County.
According to officials, hackers were able to gain limited access to the county’s network and some of the data stored on it.
They are working with cybersecurity experts to learn the extent.
The sheriff’s office, district attorney, libraries and county council have all been dealing with disruptions since the attack on June 26.
The county’s internal networks are now up and running, and work is still ongoing to reinstate external-facing county services.
Copyright © 2026 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Delaware
Investigation underway after controversial traffic stop in Delaware
DOVER, Del. (WPVI) — Delaware State Police are investigating a controversial traffic stop making the rounds on social media.
The video shows a trooper forcing a woman out of her car, slamming her to the ground, punching and tasing her.
It happened on July 7, in Dover, Delaware.
But Delaware State Police say the video doesn’t tell the whole story. They released a statement to provide what they call necessary context and clarity.
State police say the woman, identified as 38-year-old Sierra Hopkins, was initially pulled over in the area of S. Bay Road and Lafferty Lane in Dover for having suspended tags, no car insurance, and no driver’s license.
She was issued citations and let go, but then stopped again minutes later by the same trooper on E. Lebanon Road, who decided to follow protocol and have her car towed.
State police say he did this because Hopkins had been cited for the same violations five days earlier.
Things quickly escalated during this stop, with police stating she refused to leave her car, resisting, kicking and scratching the trooper in the face.
It all happened while several juveniles were in the car.
“This is such a vulnerable and tender moment… I’m sure her children were present, which brings another cause of concern because that’s trauma,” said Fleur McKendell, President of Delaware NAACP State Conference.
McKendell says her organization is pushing for a full and thorough investigation.
“It’s really deeply concerning. It’s evoked a lot of strong emotions from myself, my organization, as well as the public. I think it’s important to understand the full context of the content we have viewed before reaching conclusions, so I’m very eager to review available video footage and the circumstances that preceded and occurred during that incident,” says McKendell.
Delaware Governor Matt Meyer is also weighing in on this confrontation.
He released the following statement to Action News:
“Every law-enforcement officer is entrusted with a duty to protect, to serve, and to uphold the dignity and rights of every person, in every community. Policing relies on trust. That trust is not automatic; it is earned every day through mutual respect, integrity and transparency. The people of Delaware deserve transparency, and this administration will not turn away from that responsibility.”
Hopkins was later charged with assault of a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest; driving without a license, endangering the welfare of children and other registration violations.
State police did not mention the current status of the trooper.
Copyright © 2026 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
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