Note: Because of the nature of the data made available by the City, the shelter census figures above are generated by adding the average nightly census figures in a given month for all shelters serving homeless longer-term New Yorkers to the census on the last night of each month for the shelters for new arrivals (HERRCs, respite centers, etc.). This figure thus represents the total number of people sleeping in NYC shelters on a single night in a given month. The only exception is the MOCJ shelter census, which represents total unique shelter users over the course of a month. While this figure would necessarily be larger than a figure representing MOCJ shelter users on a single night, there are only several hundred beds in the MOCJ system, and so the impact on the total shelter census is negligible.
Note also that the City did not begin providing shelter census data on new arrivals until July 2023.
Visit this page to understand the breakdown of New York City shelter systems.
The chart below, however, shows the longer historical trend in the DHS and HPD shelter census from January 1983 through June 2023. Since the City did not begin providing disaggregated data on the number of New Arrivals in each shelter system until July 2023, the DHS shelter census from April 2022 (when the increase in New Arrivals began) through June 2023 reflects aggregated data on both New Arrivals and homeless longer-term New Yorkers in DHS shelters.
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For more information on the DHS and HPD shelter systems click here.
For an explanation of how mayoral policies impacted the number of people in shelters, click here.
