Report shows drastic increase in homelessness in blue state within a span of 2 years

The issue of homelessness in New York, a blue state, has significantly worsened in just two years, according to a recent report by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. Dinapoli. The report, released on Wednesday, highlights a troubling trend in the state.

Between January 2022 and January 2024, homelessness in New York more than doubled, which is a stark contrast to the rest of the country where there was only a 21 percent increase. The sudden surge in homelessness in the Empire State has been attributed to the large influx of asylum seekers into New York City.

Dinapoli expressed concern over the growing housing insecurity among New Yorkers, noting a distressing rise in homelessness in recent years. The impact of this trend is particularly alarming, reflecting a challenging situation for many individuals and families in the state.

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.

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.