Homelessness down in NY, did COVID skew stats?
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)- COVID-19 has had a negative impact on many areas but there is evidence it positively affected homelessness. The number of people in homeless shelters has gone down in the U.S. and New York, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
There has been an 8% decrease in the number of sheltered homeless across the nation and a 12% decrease in New York from 2020 to 2021. HUD said they believe this is in part due to COVID relief funding.
In both years families with children represent the largest group of homeless in New York, but there were 47,982 homeless in 2020 compared to 38,258 in 2021. The number of homeless individuals dropped from 38,732 to 37,793 and the number of homeless veterans fell from 1,214 to 1,097.
Homelessness in New York
| Homeless groups | 2020 | 2021 |
| Families with children | 47,982 | 38,258 |
| Individuals | 38, 732 | 37,793 |
| Veterans | 1,214 | 1,097 |
CARES of N.Y. said they are cautiously optimistic about HUD's report because of a couple factors. They said people may have been hesitant to go to shelters because of COVID thus affecting the actual numbers. They also said homelessness may have been hindered by the states' eviction moratorium, which expired at the end of 2021.
HUD too said there were other components that may or may not have affected the report including actions by their agency. In 2021 HUD waived the requirement for communities to count unsheltered homeless. Therefore, unsheltered estimates were based on communities that did do counts.
“While the pandemic prevented the unsheltered homeless count, the reduction in sheltered homeless proves that additional federal assistance can foster a positive change in the homelessness crisis," said HUD Regional Administrator for New York and New Jersey, Alicka Ampry-Samuel.
Furthermore, emergency shelters reduced their capacity based on COVID safety measures. Some of the shelters reported this information and others did not. HUD recognizes this could have an impact on the report's findings.
"Estimates of the number of people experiencing sheltered homelessness at a point in time in 2021 should be viewed with caution, as the number could be artificially depressed compared with non-pandemic times, reflecting reduced occupancy in some communities or safety concerns regarding staying in shelters," the agency said.