New York City on Track to Reduce Homelessness: Report

Homelessness has increased since Mayor de Blasio took office, but the tide is starting to turn, according to an annual report being released Thursday by the Coalition for the Homeless, the city’s leading advocacy group for the homeless.

The number of New Yorkers living in homeless shelters increased by 13 percent over last year, reaching a record high of 60,670 in January 2015 (the city’s official count is lower because it excludes some categories).

Nearly 90 percent of households in the shelter system were African-American and Latino. One in 17 of African-American children spent at least one night in a shelter, according to the report.

But the report's author, Patrick Markee, said the Mayor’s plan to move the homeless into private apartments with rental subsidies, and also into public housing, is a turning point.

“That plan, we project, will result in a reduction in the numbers of homeless kids and families in New York City this year [for the] first time in nearly a decade,” he said.

If the city and state continue the subsidies, Markee said, the number of homeless families will decrease by 40 percent by fiscal year 2019.

After engaging in battles for decades with the previous administrations, the Coalition has been on friendly terms with de Blasio. While praising the Mayor’s efforts in the report, they criticized Governor Cuomo, saying he has “done little to address rising New York City homelessness.”

Cuomo’s spokeswoman said he proposed “an unprecedented additional investment for homeless services” in his executive budget and is creating a “real and lasting opportunity for vulnerable New Yorkers.”