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Single adults entering the DHS shelter services system
Provide temporary emergency housing to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. — Ensure that individuals and families have access to emergency shelter and services.
Single adults entering DHS shelter nearly doubled between FY22 and FY23 and have stayed far above pre-2022 levels since, driven by the surge of asylum seekers arriving in New York City starting in spring 2022. DHS's own reporting calls FY23 an "unparalleled number of entries" for this population, and even after modest declines in FY24 and FY25, entries remain well above the under-20,000 levels seen in FY21 and FY22.
Researched July 15, 2026 — DHS, Fiscal 2024 Mayor's Management Report, DHS, Fiscal 2025 Mayor's Management Report
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual |
|---|---|
| FY22 | 19,968 adults |
| FY23 | 35,019 adults |
| FY24 | 31,829 adults |
| FY25 | 30,852 adults |
| FY26 (YTD) | Not available |
Why this is tracked
In Callahan v. Carey, a class action filed in 1979, a New York court ruled the state and city had a constitutional duty to shelter homeless men, citing New York's constitution. A consent decree finalized in 1981 formalized the City's obligation to provide food, shelter, supervision and security, and later cases, Eldredge v. Koch in 1982 and McCain v. Koch in 1986, extended that right to shelter to women and families. The Department of Homeless Services was created in 1993 to carry out this legal mandate and became an independent mayoral agency in 1999.
Callahan v. Carey - Wikipedia, The Callahan Legacy - Coalition For The Homeless
Source: DHS CARES Database — via NYC Open Data: Mayor's Management Report, Agency Performance Indicators
Coverage shown: FY22–FY26, reported monthly.
Definition: Single adults entering the DHS shelter services system for the first time or returning after a period of at least one year, excluding clients in Safe Havens and Veterans short-term housing.