Homelessness in New York Sees Increase in 2018, While New Jersey Rate Decreases: HUD

Homelessness across the state of New York has increased in 2018, while New Jersey had one of the largest decreases in homelessness, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

According to HUD’s "2018 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress," 91,897 New Yorkers experienced homelessness in 2018 — an increase of 2.7 percent since last year.

According to the data compiled, New York City reported a 2.8 percent increase in homelessness, primarily among families in emergency shelters and transitional housing.

Although the overall number of New Yorkers experiencing homelessness has increased, the report found that homelessness among veterans fell.

HUD’s report also found that on a single night in January 2018, 1,224 veterans experienced homelessness, a decrease of 1.6 percent (or 20 people) since January 2017. This dip in Veteran homelessness has been a trend over the past few years, according to HUD, which reports that since 2010, Veteran homelessness in New York declined from 5,765 or 78 percent.

Meanwhile, New Jersey had one of the largest decreases in homelessness since 2007 with 7,916 less people being in homelessness — a 45.7 percent decrease.

Although New Jersey also saw a 59.8 percent decrease in the number of families with children experiencing homelessness since 2007, the state saw an increase of 8 percent in the 2017-2018 timeframe.

Overall, the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night in New Jersey was 9,398, according to the report.

Thirty-one states and the District of Colombia reported decreases in homelessness, while 19 states saw an increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness.

Overall, there were 552,830 people who experienced homelessness in the United States in 2018 — a 0.3 percent increase from 2017’s total of 550,996 people experiencing homelessness.

HUD’s national estimate is based upon data reported by approximately 3,000 cities and counties across the nation. Every year on a single night in January, planning agencies called ‘Continuums of Care,” along with tens of thousands of volunteers, seek to identify the number of individuals and families living in emergency shelters, transitional housing programs and in unsheltered settings.

The states of New Jersey and New York did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In a statement to NBC 4, the NYC Department of Social Services Commissioner Steven Banks said: “Driven by decades of rents outpacing wages, the nationwide challenge of homelessness didn’t occur overnight and it won’t be solved overnight, but our City’s strategies are taking hold, with the NYC shelter census remaining flat for the first time in ten years, more than 101,000 New Yorkers in need connected to permanent homes through our rehousing programs, and thousands of tenants facing eviction provided with lawyers in housing court.”