In the last year, homeless families without young children in New York City are increasingly having to apply for permanent shelter placement several times before they’re approved for a bed, a Gothamist analysis found.
City data dating from 2017 to May of this year shows that a majority of so-called adult families — usually couples with no dependent kids or older children living with their parents — are consistently denied permanent placement in homeless shelters, forcing them to apply several times to the Department of Homeless Services to plead their case. Homeless advocates say it’s harder for this group to meet the city’s rules and required paperwork because they’ve lived on the street or are more likely to have a disability.
But the Department of Homeless Services, which runs the main intake center for adult families seeking refuge, said under the Adams administration, the number of reapplications has dropped significantly and has been much higher in previous years, when as many as 25% of families were approved for shelter after applying six or more times.
The city’s application statistics from May 2023 to May of this year show since last fall, 15% of adult families had to reapply at least six times on average before they were successfully placed in a permanent shelter. The numbers also show that 60% of adult families have had to apply more than once on average before they were found eligible for shelter. Families are typically assigned temporary shelters for 10 days while the Department of Homeless Services decides whether they are eligible for permanent shelter.
The new analysis comes as an affordable housing shortage and the end of several federal and state pandemic-era assistance programs push more New Yorkers to the city’s streets and shelters, and as the Adams administration ramps up encampment sweeps and efforts to house homeless people. The city’s street homeless population reached a 15-year high earlier this year, according to an annual…
Read the full article here
