Homelessness in New York more than doubled between January 2022 and January 2024, according to a report released Thursday by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.
There was a 53.1% increase in homelessness from January 2023 to January 2024, a rate more than four times the national average, according to a press release.
New York City accounted for the majority of the increase, driven largely by the influx of asylum seekers. However, homelessness also rose sharply in other regions of the state, with some areas, including Glens Falls and Saratoga, experiencing triple-digit growth.
“New York has long had a housing affordability crisis, and more families are running out of options and ending up on the street or in shelters,” DiNapoli said. "Many of the tens of thousands of asylum seekers that came to New York had no place to stay and drove up spending and a large portion of the growth of the homeless population."
The report found that nearly one in three of New York’s homeless are children, with the number of homeless children skyrocketing from 20,299 in 2022 to 50,773 in 2024. Additionally, Hispanic and Black populations are disproportionately affected, and 10% of homeless individuals suffer from severe mental illness or chronic substance abuse.
In January 2024, 89,119 people were in shelters run by New York City’s Department of Homeless Services, a dramatic rise from 45,343 in January 2022. Of those in shelters, 34,057 were asylum seekers. The city also housed approximately 68,000 asylum seekers during this period.
Statewide, homelessness increased by 118.2% between 2022 and 2024, compared to a 20.7% rise nationally. New York’s homelessness rate of 8 per 1,000 people is surpassed only by Hawaii and District of Columbia.
Outside New York City, Long Island reported the largest number of homeless individuals in 2024, followed by Westchester County and the Buffalo and Niagara regions.
Despite these challenges, New York has the nation’s lowest share of unsheltered homeless individuals, at 3.6%, compared to 43.8% nationally. The state boasts 127,759 year-round emergency housing beds, far outpacing other states.
