Facts About Homelessness

Facts About Homelessness in New York City

Families and Children

Children and their parents comprise 73% of the NYC shelter population.
Average shelter stay for homeless families has doubled over the past decade, now averaging close to a year.
Over half of the homeless mothers in New York City have been victims of domestic violence.

Families sleeping in Department of Homeless Services (DHS) city shelters (July 2005) include:

8,105 families

13,062 children

11,854 adults

Average family size: 3.18

Average length of stay: 361 days

32.3% remain in shelters over one year

By borough, families in shelters (July 2005) include:

31.16% Bronx

26.37% Brooklyn

26.48% Manhattan

15.64% Queens

0.35% Staten Island

Single Adults
Single adults sleeping in DHS city shelters (average daily census, July 2005)

7,943 Single Adults

Men: 5,957 (75%)

Women: 1,986 (25%)

The number of homeless single adults sleeping in shelters has increased by 34% since 1994 and is at its highest point since 1990.

Financial Costs of Homelessness

Cost to shelter a family for one year: $36,000
Cost to shelter a single adult: $23,000
In 2001, New York City spent:
$493 million on emergency shelter and services
$127.5 million on homeless prevention programs
$121.6 million on permanent housing for homeless people

Social Costs of Homelessness

School attendance for teenagers in homeless families drops to 51%
Two-thirds of homeless school children in NYC change schools during the year and one in four repeats a grade.
Homeless children are more likely to be under-immunized, have higher rates of nutritional deficiencies and chronic illnesses and are more prone to injuries than children with permanent homes, according to the New York Child Health Project. Half of the children in shelters suffer from asthma.
Both NYC-based and national studies show that homeless children witness more violence, have significantly higher rates of emotional and mental health problems, and are physically and sexually abused at two to three times the rate of other children.

Racial Composition

90% of the people living in New York City shelters are Black and Latino, although only 53%of the overall population is Black or Latino.

Factsheets

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Organizational Overview

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