The number of homeless shelters across NYC exploded nearly 50% in the last four years from 333 to 499, as Gotham’s vagrant population doubled and its shelter industrial complex bled $4 billion in taxpayer money in a single year.Shelters set aside for single adults – which critics say are the most problematic facilities because they are more likely than family shelters to bring violent criminals to neighborhoods – surged 35%, from 155 to 209, a Post review of Department of Homeless Services data found.
What’s worse is there is no end to the perpetually growing problem, according to critics, who blame the administration of socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other lefty pols for pushing policies that lead to more homelessness.
“These numbers are the unfortunate side effect of politicians and their followers putting ideology over reality,” said Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Queens). “Things like rent control might sound great on paper, but in reality, they mean less residential development, and fewer units on the market as landlords don’t have the funds needed to renovate when a tenant moves out.
“All of this means the housing shortage gets even worse, and the men and women in our shelter systems are the sad result of these policy failures.”
As of Thursday, DHS reported 83,407 residents in its shelter system – including 26,266 single adults and the rest families with children and adults.
That’s double the number of homeless residents who were sleeping in city shelters daily on average during the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2022 – 42,563, which included 16,465 single men and women, records show.
The number of shelters soared from 333 in fiscal 2022 to 496 by fiscal 2024 as the city’s daily homeless population surged to an average of 86,321, including 20,468 single adults.
At the time, the city was still dealing with a migrant crisis so overwhelming that the number of vagrants on some days reached above 130,000.
The brunt of the crisis is largely behind the Big Apple, and the total number of shelters has remained steady since 2024, yet Mamdani is still planning to spend more money on homeless services this fiscal year than his predecessor Eric Adams did during the height of the crisis.
Mamdani’s DHS budget is a whopping $4.2 billion, up $700 million from the previous year and $100 million more than in 2024, when the agency was slammed hardest by asylum seekers.
DHS spokesman Nicholas Jacobelli, however, insisted Mamdani has taken “decisive action” to transform “the sprawling shelter system” he inherited “by beginning to phase out the use of commercial hotels for families with children, aging or substandard facilities, like the 30th Street Intake Center and Bruckner Boulevard emergency shelter, that are unsafe for single adults, and equitably siting new, high-quality shelters across the city.
“We are committed to creating safer, dignified settings for all the populations we serve, which includes placing more families in facilities that better support their needs,” he said.
Some of the Gotham’s poorest neighborhoods – including Brownsville and East New York in Brooklyn and Hollis, Queens – are feeling the brunt.
As of June 30, Brooklyn had the most homeless shelters (153), followed by The Bronx (136), Queens (113), Manhattan (90) and Staten Island (7), according to the latest available data. The Borough of Kings is also home to the most adult shelters with 77, followed by Queens (48), The Bronx (41), Manhattan (41) and Staten Island (3). --->READ MORE HERE
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