Thank you for visiting the Department of Homeless Services Website. We welcome the opportunity to share our mission with you and to report on our progress to overcome homelessness here in New York City.

DHS prevents homelessness wherever possible and provides short-term emergency shelter and re-housing support when needed.  These goals are best achieved through partnerships with those we serve, public agencies and the business and nonprofit communities.  By working together, we find that we can best assist low income New Yorkers eligible for our services.

Working with our partners, we create an environment where those we serve can return to the community in homes of their own as quickly as possible. We want to support our clients in their efforts to improve their lives by linking them with employment, and rehabilitative and disability advocacy services that will assist them in gaining self-sufficiency.

For most of our clients the fastest route to return to the community is to gain and maintain employment.  By firmly linking our municipal rental subsidy to work, we are strongly supporting those clients with jobs and investing in their successes when they leave shelter.

The City recognizes that we have an obligation to serve with dignity and respect those who are eligible for our services. We are proud of our record of accomplishment and strive to improve our efforts in both preventing homelessness and moving those in shelter quickly back to the community.

The greatest tool we can give those in our homeless services system remains independence.  We will strive each and every day to work with those individuals in our programs to put them on the path towards self-sufficiency and a home of their own, because that truly is a victory for all those involved.

Thank you for your interest in our Agency.

Sincerely,

Commissioner Seth Diamond