New York's homeless account for 20% of the nationwide crisis
New York police investigate Penn Station after homeless man catches fire
A 67-year-old homeless man sustained burns after catching alight in Penn Station. Police are still investigating the cause of the fire. (Credit: Peter Gerber)
The homelessness crisis has dramatically worsened in the blue state of New York within just two years, according to a report released Wednesday by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. Dinapoli.
Between January 2022 to January 2024, homelessness reportedly more than doubled in the Empire State, while the rest of the nation only saw a growth of 21 percent. According to the report, the mass arrival of asylum seekers in New York City caused the massive jump in homelessness.
"An increasing number of New Yorkers are experiencing housing insecurity, with an alarming increase in recent years in the number of homeless," Dinapoli said.
While the crisis was partially driven by eviction proceedings, lack of affordable housing and increased rent, asylum seekers accounted for 88 percent of the increase in sheltered homelessness in New York City, according to the report.
A homeless person sits with their belongings on Dec. 27, 2024, on a subway car in New York City. (Robert Nickelsberg)
"The influx of asylum seekers has been a key reason for growth in the number of homeless in New York City, and even in some downstate counties," DiNapoli said.
"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," he continued.
A homeless person's tent is seen in a cordoned off area in New York on Dec. 27, 2024. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu)
SPENDING ON HOMELESSNESS SPIKES TO A 'SHOCKING' AMOUNT IN PORTLAND METRO AREA
While U.S. homelessness has overall reached a new peak last year, New Yorkers reportedly account for 20% of it at 158,000 people. The state’s rate of homelessness, at about 8 per 1,000 people, was higher than every state except for Hawaii and the District of Columbia.
The spike in New York’s homelessness was also mainly driven by New York City, which accounted for 93% of the state’s total number of homeless.
Additionally, children under the age of 18 made up a third of the state’s homeless population, one of the highest shares in the nation. The number of homeless children has more than doubled between the two years to 50,000 people.
A homeless person lies on the sidewalk in New York on Dec. 27, 2024. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu)
DiNapoli said more needs to be done to help keep people in their homes, especially households with children.
According to the report, New York Gov. Kathey Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams have announced affordable housing proposals in their recent 2025 policy addresses.
New York state is also currently implementing a five-year $25 billion housing plan "to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes," according to the Office of Budget Policy and Analysis.
Bonny Chu is a Digital Production Assistant at Fox News Digital.
