FEWER FAMILIES IN SHELTER

On July 8, DHS provided temporary, emergency shelter to 8,230 families with children- equating to 25,204 adults and children receiving services from our system. As we meet the demand for shelter every night, providing temporary refuge for any New Yorker without an appropriate housing alternative, we also focus on helping clients regain independence as quickly as possible. While shelter serves as a valuable resource to those in need, it is not, and should not be considered, a home.

Helping clients move back to permanent housing is one of our most prominent goals. As such, DHS is proud of the steps we have taken to emphasize employment among households in shelter, helping adults go to work and achieve self-sufficiency. Last month, the average length of stay for families with children was 253 days, which is 12 days shorter than the average stay in 2009, and 66 days less than in 2008.

Along with this shift, we have also seen a decline in the overall number of New Yorkers in shelter on a daily basis, largely due to our focus on assisting clients to transition more rapidly back to the community. Specifically, over the last four months, there are five percent fewer individuals in shelter- with 35,537 individuals in June compared with 37,334 in February.

A similar pattern is noticeable among families with children in shelter- a population that has declined from 8,991 families in October of 2009 to 8,268 families in June. From last October through June, we have 11 percent fewer children in shelter who are now back in homes of their own, where they can thrive.