Mayor Bill de Blasio touted a significant decrease in the number of people identified in its annual street homeless count—but advocates caution that a spike in enforcement, and a new census methodology, likely obscure the true extent of the crisis.

The city’s annual Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE) count identified 2,376 different New Yorkers bedding down in public places between Jan. 26th and 29th, compared to 3,857 on Jan. 27, 2020, according to results released Thursday. The number marks a 38 percent decrease, including a 23 percent drop in the subway system.