NYC homeless shelter count surges 50% as budget tops $4 billion
The city’s shelter network grew from 333 to 499 locations in four years, while the homeless population doubled and the Department of Homeless Services budget rose to $4.2 billion.
New York City’s shelter system has expanded dramatically, jumping from 333 shelters in fiscal 2022 to 499 by fiscal 2024, according to Department of Homeless Services data. The daily homeless count rose to an average of 86,321, with 83,407 residents recorded in the system, including 26,266 single adults. Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s DHS budget now stands at $4.2 billion, $700 million higher than the previous year, even as critics blame rent-control policies and other left-leaning measures for the surge.
The administration claims to be replacing unsafe hotel placements and outdated facilities with new, higher-quality sites, but recent conversions—such as a family shelter in Sheepshead Bay turned into a 110-bed men’s shelter—have sparked lawsuits and protests from local officials like Councilwoman Inna Vernikov and Assemblyman Kalman Yeger. Neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx bear the greatest concentration of shelters, prompting calls for a more equitable distribution across the city.
Why it matters
The rapid growth of NYC shelters and a soaring budget highlight escalating homelessness and contentious housing policies affecting millions.
In this story
