By: James Dysart, Associate Policy Director
As we continue into a new year, we’re taking a moment to reflect on family homelessness in New York City in 2024. In January 2024, the number of families with children living in NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS) shelters reached an all-time high of over 19,600 families. The number of families with children living in DHS shelters at the end of 2024 was around 18,800 families. Despite the changes in the number of families throughout the year, the average number of families with children remained high at 19,148 families—a 17% increase in the yearly average from 2023.
The Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing (PATH) intake center is DHS’ dedicated location for families with children to apply for shelter in NYC. According to reports made public by DHS, the average number of families with children applying for temporary shelter each day decreased in 2024. The number of daily applications processed at PATH decreased by 6.3% from 153 applications per day in 2023 to 149 in 2024.
Below is an overview of key metrics related to family homelessness in New York City. While reviewing these figures, it’s important to recognize that they reflect more than just numbers. These are thousands of families and thousands of children whose lives are impacted by the systemic issues and root causes driving homelessness. While growth is down from 2023, the high average is a reminder that NYC is still facing unprecedented levels of family homelessness that requires a dedicated investment to support homelessness prevention, quality shelter, and long-term housing stability for families with children.
As the City continues to address the rise in homelessness, we will monitor how the number of families with children changes and provide insights to continue to promote a robust dialogue on family and child homelessness.
Average # of families with children in DHS shelter for 2024: 19,148
Average # of children in DHS shelter for 2024: 32,838
Average # of individuals in families with children DHS shelter for 2024: 62,399
Average # of school-aged children in families with children in shelter (January – June 2024)*: 23,901
Percent increase in average number families with children in DHS shelter for 2024 from 2023: 17.3%
Highest number of families with children in DHS shelter: 19,641 (1/14/24)
Highest number of children in families with children in DHS shelter: 33,468 (9/2/24)
Visit last year’s Snapshot on Family Homelessness 2023 here.
*Data available through June 2024
Data Sources:
Department of Homeless Services Daily Report via NYC Open Data – https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Social-Services/DHS-Daily-Report/k46n-sa2m
Department of Homeless Services Data Dashboards – https://www.nyc.gov/site/dhs/about/stats-and-reports.page