New York City Mayor Adams Plans to Allocate $650 Million to Solve Homelessness Issue

On Thursday, January 9th, New York City Mayor Adams delivered his fourth State of the City address during his term at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, Manhattan. One of the most notable points was his determination to completely address the longstanding issue of homeless individuals in New York City. Over the next 5 years, the city plans to allocate $650 million to clear the streets of the homeless population, aiming to make New York City the “safest” and “most family-friendly” place to live.

Mayor Adams mentioned in his address that since his first day in office, he has implemented new methods to assist, provide healthcare, and housing for those living on the streets. Starting from 2022, over 8,000 New Yorkers have been moved from the subway to shelters. In the 2024 fiscal year, the NYC Department of Social Services helped a record 18,500 families transition from shelters to stable housing.

To ensure more individuals leave the subway and streets for shelters, the new five-year homeless plan by the Adams administration includes adding 900 new beds to provide homeless New Yorkers with more flexible and personalized options. This approach has proven to be highly effective in helping people transition from homelessness to permanent housing.

Furthermore, to break the cycle of homelessness and hospitalization for homeless individuals with severe mental illness, the city government will establish an innovative facility specifically to support those individuals, provide mental health care, substance abuse treatment, and help them secure permanent housing.

Mayor Adams also announced a new pilot program on Thursday: no child will be born in the NYC shelter system, and instead, permanent housing will be provided for expectant parents in the shelter system to prevent children from being born into unstable housing, thus averting lifelong poverty and housing instability cycles.

Additionally, Mayor Adams reiterated his call for the state legislature to pass the Supportive Interventions Act, which would ensure proper care for those with severe mental illness and assist those who can no longer care for themselves or may pose a danger to themselves or others.

“Subways, severe mental illness, and shelters – this is how we are refocusing our efforts to address the issue of street homelessness,” Mayor Adams stated at the State of the City address.

Adams expressed, “We in New York City can do this, but we also need the help of Albany. We have seen the dire consequences of unaddressed severe mental illness on the streets and subways, which is why we must pass the Supportive Interventions Act.”

According to estimates from the homeless advocacy organization, the Coalition for the Homeless, there are a total of 350,000 homeless individuals in New York City, with nearly 110,000 residing in city-run shelters, including around 50,000 undocumented immigrants. According to the latest report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), New York State has the highest per capita homelessness rate in the country.