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 March 2023. Red arrow and numbers indicate 75,540.

In March 2023, 75,540 people slept in the main NYC shelter system.

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

Families

In March 2023, 16,692 families slept in DHS and HPD shelters each night.

A beige chart with a blue area graph showing family homelessness census data from 1983 to March 2023. Red arrow and numbers indicate 16,534.

Families Breakdown
In March 2023, 23,697 children in families slept in DHS and HPD shelters each night.

A beige chart with a blue area graph showing children homelessness census data from 1983 to March 2023. Red arrow and numbers indicate 23,697.

In February 2023, 27,465 adults in families slept in DHS and HPD shelters each night.

A beige chart with a blue area graph showing adults in families homelessness census data from 1983 to March 2023. Red arrow and numbers indicate 27,465.

Click below for a breakdown of men and women.

Single Adults

In March 2023, 24,378 single adults slept in DHS and HPD shelters each night.

A beige chart with a blue area graph showing single adults homelessness census data from 1983 to March 2023. Red arrow and numbers indicate 24,378.

Single Adults Breakdown
In March 2023, 4,979 single adult women slept in DHS and HPD shelters each night.

A beige chart with a blue area graph showing single women homelessness census data from 1983 to March 2023. Red arrow and numbers indicate 4,979.

In March 2023, 19,399 single adult men slept in DHS and HPD shelters each night.

A beige chart with a blue area graph showing single men homelessness census data from 1983 to March 2023. Red arrow and numbers indicate 19,399.

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.