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Category: General
Reading Between the Numbers: Limits of the 2025 PIT for Families Experiencing Homelessness
By James Dysart, Associate Policy Director The most recent Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress (AHAR) raises important questions about data in the current landscape. Although the AHAR estimates that the number of families experiencing homelessness in the United States fell by 11% from the prior year, there were still an estimated 230,366 people in…
Investing in Subsidized Housing Pays for NYC Homeless Families
By James Dysart, Associate Policy Director Released last month, the Preliminary Mayor’s Management Report (PMMR) provides early insight into fluctuations in the numbers of families living in city shelters. Between July and October 2025, the average number of families with children living in Department of Homeless Services (DHS) shelters declined. There was a daily average…
Family Homelessness in 2025 in New York City: A Snapshot
By: James Dysart, Associate Policy Director As we enter 2026 under a new mayoral administration, we look back at family homelessness in New York City during 2025 as an indicator of what challenges may lie ahead. In 2025, there was an average of 18,057 families with children living in NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS)…
Common Threads Between NYC’s Rental Subsidy Programs Over 20 Years and the Impact on Homeless Families
By: Lucia Stein, Policy Assistant Families exiting shelter have historically been most successful in securing permanent housing when assisted with government housing vouchers. These vouchers can be funded through federal, state, local, or a combination of government dollars. But maintaining funding and political support for those vouchers has been a challenge, and so, in turn,…
Faced with Potential Federal Funding Cuts, Can NYC Curb Family Homelessness? What 20 Years of the HomeBase Prevention Program Teaches Us Today
By: James Dysart, Associate Policy Director and Lucia Stein, Policy Assistant Due to uncertainty regarding federal funding, homelessness prevention services in New York City could need additional support to continue their proven history of success. To prevent a crisis for families with children, the City and State may need to dip deep into their pockets or…
Family Homelessness in 2024 in New York City: A Snapshot
By: James Dysart, Associate Policy Director As we continue into a new year, we’re taking a moment to reflect on family homelessness in New York City in 2024. In January 2024, the number of families with children living in NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS) shelters reached an all-time high of over 19,600 families. The number of…
News & Insights
News and Insights is a dedicated source of the latest information and developments in family homelessness, poverty, and education. Make sure to visit this section weekly to stay informed. September 2024 US food insecurity rate rose to 13.5% in 2023 as government benefits declined and food prices soared (The Conversation) Across the United States, an increasing…
Family Homelessness in 2023 in New York City: A Snapshot
By: Maribel Maria, Policy Associate, HFH and Caroline Iosso, Senior Policy Associate, HFH As the new year begins, we’re taking a look at family homelessness in New York City in 2023. Continuing the upward trend that began in 2022, family homelessness increased considerably in 2023. As of the end of December 2023, the number of…
Encouraging Brighter Futures: A Look at Guaranteed Income’s Potential to Support Expecting Parents and their Families
By Maribel Maria, Policy Associate, and Caroline Iosso, Senior Policy Associate Pregnancy is often a time of joy and anticipation, but for homeless or housing insecure parents, it can bring new stressors, especially regarding finances. Guaranteed income is a policy that has the potential to mitigate some of the costs associated with pregnancy, childbirth and…
How Have Families with Children Fared in NYC Shelters this Year?
By Maribel Maria, Policy Associate at HFH and Caroline Iosso, Senior Policy Associate at HFH This month, New York City Mayor Adams’ Administration released the Mayor’s Management Report, an annual assessment of the City’s services. Like last year, we looked at how families experiencing homelessness fared over the course of the most recent fiscal year…
Homeless Students and Absenteeism
By Maribel Maria, Policy Associate, HFH and Robyn Schwartz, Policy Advisor, HFH Students’ attendance rates are in the spotlight once again, with media highlighting the rising rates of absenteeism among students across New York City and the nation.1 Notably lacking in many news reports is attention to the alarming absenteeism trends among students experiencing homelessness. More…