Counting NYC's homeless

NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - New York City is experiencing a homeless crisis. Overnight, city and federal officials joined more than 3,000 volunteers to conduct the yearly HOPE count to determine how many people are living on the streets.

HOPE stands for Homeless Outreach Population Estimate and is mandated by the federal government. Last year's count concluded that between 3,000 and 4,000 thousand homeless are living on the city's streets. But the Coalition for the Homeless says the count is flawed.

Giselle Routhier says trying to count the street homeless one night a year for four hours couldn't possible portray reality. Instead, she says the homeless should be counted numerous times a year in addition to working with nonprofit agencies that deal directly with the homeless every day.

We reached out to the mayor's office. A spokesperson says that in addition to this night's count, which is required by the federal government, the city is going to conduct street homeless counts every quarter and canvass hotspot areas in Manhattan every day.