New York City is getting a $60 million grant to help provide services and housing for homeless individuals and families living on the city’s streets, in the subways and in other public spaces, federal officials said Monday.
The U.S. the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, made the announcement at a news conference in Midtown Manhattan before local officials, homeless individuals and their advocates.
“I'm happy to hear that even in New York, $60 million is a big deal,” Marion McFadden, HUD principal deputy assistant secretary for community planning and development, said.
The $60 million in federal funding, the maximum amount for the grant, is for the city’s Continuum of Care, a local planning group that coordinates housing and services funding for homeless individuals and families.
The largest recipient of the grant is the city's Department of Homeless Services, which will receive $13.6 million from HUD. Non-profit service provider Breaking Ground will receive $12 million, while Care for the Homeless and Jericho Project — two other homeless services providers — will get roughly $9 million each. Other local organizations will also be awarded funding.
HUD also gave 612 additional housing choice vouchers, commonly known as Section 8 vouchers, to the New York City Housing Authority and New York City Housing Preservation and Development. These housing vouchers will be set aside for homeless people or people at risk of homelessness.
The grant was part of the $171 million that HUD is giving to Continuum of Care across the nation to help reduce street and rural homelessness, which McFadden said is on the rise.
Last year, on a single night, more than 582,500 people were homeless nationwide, McFadden said. Between 2020 and 2022, she said street homelessness increased by 3.4%.
“That is absolutely unacceptable,” McFadden said. “But we know how to solve it. It is solvable.”
The $60 million grant is a fraction of the $2.5 billion New York City spent in 2022 to provide housing and other services for homeless individuals and families. Nonetheless, city officials and advocates for homeless people said they are grateful for the funds.
“Alongside our nonprofit partner, we will continue to build on our robust outreach infrastructure and work to ensure that we are effectively engaging our unsheltered neighbors and expeditiously connecting them to vital services, support and housing,” said Molly Park, acting commissioner of New York City Department of Social Services.
