Homelessness in New York doubles: report
NYC Deputy Mayor discusses homelessness: Exclusive
In New York City, Mayor Adams focused on homelessness and the mental health crisis as part of his State of the City address Thursday afternoon. He’s investing millions of dollars to try and get more people off the street and provide them with the help they need. FOX 5 NY’s Robert Moses exclusively sat down with the deputy mayor for more details on some of their initiatives.
NEW YORK - Homelessness in New York state has doubled between Jan. 2022 and 2024, according to a report released Wednesday by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.
When did homelessness increase in New York?
What they're saying:
DiNapoli reported that homelessness in New York skyrocketed by 53.1% between January 2023 and January 2024—over four times the national average—driven largely by an influx of asylum seekers in New York City, where the homeless population now exceeds 140,000.
"Many of the tens of thousands of asylum seekers that came to New York had no place to stay and drove up spending and a large portion of the growth of the homeless population. But let’s be clear, this isn’t just a New York City problem, it is impacting communities all over the state. New York needs to examine how it’s using current housing resources while taking more action to address this urgent situation," DiNapoli said.

EMS workers and advocates for the homeless are pushing back against Mayor Adams' plan to deal with the city's mental health crisis.
How many people are homeless in New York City?
By the numbers:
New York City accounted for 93% of the increase in the state’s total homeless population. The report found that:
- There were more than 158,000 homeless New Yorkers in 2024.
- New York’s rate of homelessness, at about 8 per 1,000 people, was higher than all states except Hawaii and the District of Columbia.
According to DiNapoli's report, the number of homeless children increased from 20,299 in 2022 to 50,773 in 2024.
Almost one in three of New York’s homeless are children, one of the highest shares in the nation, DiNapoli said.
What parts of New York had the largest numbers of homelessness?
Big picture view:
What else did the report say about New Yorkers?
- Outside of New York City, Long Island had the largest amount of homelessness in 2024, followed by Westchester County and counties around Buffalo and Niagara Falls.
- The rest of New York state had increases ranging from 11% in Poughkeepsie/Dutchess County to 138% in Glens Falls, Saratoga Springs and surrounding counties.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reported that homelessness in 2024 has reached an all-time high, with 771,480 people experiencing homelessness nationwide.

Homeless people sitting with their belongings on the edge of a wall as the rate of homeless people in the USA increase by 18 percent in 2024, reaching the largest annual increase recorded in recent years in New York, United States on December 27, 202
According to HUD, homelessness in New York increased because of eviction proceedings, lack of affordable housing, increased rents, and the influx of asylum seekers, among other factors.
The Source: This article contains reporting from the New York State Comptroller's office.