Families without dependent children have a harder time navigating the city’s eligibility requirements, homeless advocates say.
In the last year, homeless families without young children in New York City are increasingly having to apply for permanent shelter placement several times before they’re approved for a bed, a Gothamist analysis found.
Adult families who want to shelter together must demonstrate their housing history and prove their marriage or domestic unions to city officials — single adults seeking beds aren't subject to these requirements. Families with children, meanwhile, need to show they don’t have other housing options in order to qualify for shelter.
“They're often faced with higher rates of disability, higher rates of medical issues, higher rates of mental health issues that they're coping with, all of which makes the eligibility process particularly taxing and difficult to make it through,” he added.through the first half of this year show adult families were denied shelter 75% of the time on average. The worst rejection rates, which topped 80%, were in 2022 and 2023.
The agency has previously said the administration is prioritizing outreach to people living on the street and has boosted the number of shelter beds that are easier for individuals to quickly access. City data from May 2023 to May 2024 shows fewer adult families are applying for shelter. The number of families who applied for shelter in May dropped 45% compared to the same month in 2023. While an average of 600 families applied monthly in the first half of this year, that’s down from the average of 750 families who applied in the last half of last year.
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