Facts About Homelessness

Number of Homeless People in NYC Shelters Each Night

A beige chart with a blue area graph showing homelessness census data from 1983 to April 2023. Red arrow and numbers indicate 78,807.

In April 2023, 78,807 people slept in the main NYC shelter system.

Click below for a breakdown of children and adults in family shelters.

Families

In April 2023, 17,418 families slept in DHS and HPD shelters each night.

A beige chart with a blue area graph showing homelessness census data for families from 1983 to April 2023. Red arrow and numbers indicate 17,418.

Families Breakdown
In April 2023, 24,755 children in families slept in DHS and HPD shelters each night.

A beige chart with a blue area graph showing homelessness census data for children from 1983 to April 2023. The red arrow and numbers indicate 24,755.

In April 2023, 28,791 adults in families slept in DHS and HPD shelters each night.

A beige chart with a blue area graph showing homelessness census data for adults in families from 1983 to April 2023. The red arrow and numbers indicate 28,791.

Click below for a breakdown of men and women.

Single Adults

In April 2023, 25,261 single adults slept in DHS and HPD shelters each night.

A beige chart with a blue area graph showing homelessness census data for single adults from 1983 to April 2023. The red arrow and numbers indicate 25,261.

Single Adults Breakdown
In April 2023, 5,123 single adult women slept in DHS and HPD shelters each night.

A beige chart with a blue area graph showing homelessness census data for single adult women from 1983 to April 2023. The red arrow and numbers indicate 5,123.


In April 2023, 20,138 single adult men slept in DHS and HPD shelters each night.

A beige chart with a blue area graph showing homelessness census data for single adult men from 1983 to April 2023. The red arrow and numbers indicate 20,138.

Source: NYC Department of Homeless Services and Department of Housing Preservation and Development shelter census reports, via Open Data website.

This includes DHS and HPD shelter beds. Learn more here. Also see: How many total people are homeless in NYC?

*For data through September 2011, figures for homeless families, children, and adult family members reflect end-of-month census data. All numbers for families after September 2011 and for homeless single adults (men and women) for all months reflect average daily census data.