Record-High Street Homeless Count a Sign of City’s Growing Housing Crisis

Almost 5,000 people were living on the street or in the subway during the annual homelessness count this year, the most since the census started in 2005. This year’s count took place in March, rather than January, due to historic cold weather.

Nearly 5,000 people were homeless on the streets of New York one night earlier this year, a sign of a persistent housing affordability crisis in the city.

The annual point-in-time count saw more people experiencing street homelessness than any year since the survey started in 2005. The record number grew by 400 people compared to last year, when outreach teams recorded 4,505 people as street homeless.

Officials said they expected a higher number because the count—called the Homeless Outreach Population Estimate, or HOPE survey—was conducted in March, rather than the usual January, due to a prolonged cold spell in the city earlier this winter. They warned that the count often fluctuates with the temperature, and this year’s was higher than average.

But experts say the exact tally is less important than the trend it demonstrates: that homelessness on the rise. As housing costs remain high and the number of available apartments for low-income families has plunged to historic lows, the number of unhoused New Yorkers has grown, even as city officials take steps to create more affordable housing.

“New York City’s housing crisis is getting worse, and particularly for the lowest income people in our city, and so as a result, we’re seeing more people in the shelters and more people on the streets,” said David Giffen, CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless.

While the number of people sleeping outdoors or in other public spaces ticked up this year, the overwhelming majority of people experiencing homelessness in New York City—more than 107,000 in May—stay in shelters, not on the street. That’s due to the city’s unique right to shelter mandate, which requires the city to provide a bed to everyone who requests one.

Nevertheless, some homeless New Yorkers report that they prefer the street due to poor shelter conditions. Advocates have also called for increased investments in low-barrier shelters, called Safe Havens, that may be more attractive to street homeless New Yorkers as they often offer more privacy and less stringent rules. 

“While we recognize, and this year’s count confirms, that most people experiencing homelessness in NYC are in shelter, I place the utmost importance on reaching those living unsheltered and offering the individualized housing options and supports that meet their unique needs and position them for long-term stability,” Department of Homeless Services Commissioner Erin Dalton said in a statement.

A report by the Coalition for the Homeless found that the number of people using city shelters increased 27 percent over the four years of the Eric Adams administration from 2021-2025. A post-pandemic influx of migrants also strained the system in 2023 and 2024, when the number of people in shelter reached as many as 150,000 a night, according to City Limits’ shelter tracker.

“You’re in a sinking boat and water is pouring in a big hole in the side and you’re moving from a teaspoon to a tablespoon to maybe a small bucket to empty out the boat,” said Giffen.

The Coalition called for the city to invest more in rental assistance vouchers like CityFHEPS, to place more people directly in supportive housing, and to create more apartments targeted to those most in need.

Eviction rates in the city ticked up in the first six months of 2026, nearing pre-pandemic levels. In 2023, the most recent year for which comprehensive data is available, the city had a vacancy rate of just 0.39 percent on apartments that rented for less than $1,100.

“With the problem of mass homelessness, broadly [the city] need[s] to invest in building more affordable housing, specifically for the people at the lowest end of the economic spectrum,” said Giffen.

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