Greetings!

In recent years, the number of families with children in New York City shelters has reached its highest level since records began in 1983, when the Right to Shelter was extended to homeless families. This crisis demands urgent attention and must be a top priority for all candidates in the New York City 2025 elections.

In THE HIDDEN HOMELESS: What NYC Candidates Should Know About Family Homelessness, we provide insights into what aspiring electees need to consider when developing policies to address the family homelessness crisis and support families in shelter.

The fact sheet offers some critical points related to family homelessness in NYC, an overview of holistic solutions, and an evaluation of potential future challenges. Whoever is at the helm in 2026 will need a solid foundation to navigate the intersections of family homelessness, housing, and education.

Among the challenges that New York City and communities across the nation will continue to face in addressing family homelessness is the uncertainty around federal funding. One program that depends on federal dollars is NYC’s successful prevention model, HomeBase. In a recent blog post, we propose that local officials will need to provide creative solutions if they want to see HomeBase continue to be successful. To find out more, you can read the full blog post here: What 20 Years of the HomeBase Prevention Program Teaches Us Today.

Recently, HELP USA, one of the nation’s largest homeless services providers and low-income housing developers, hosted their annual symposium UPSTREAM – Frontline Solutions to Homelessness in New York City. At the event, leaders from across sectors came together to discuss creative solutions, effective policy, and efficient practice that can create long-term solutions for homeless individuals and families.

The event also highlighted projects that are elevating the conversation about homelessness nationally including a keynote conversation with author Brian Goldstone, spotlighting his new book, There is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America, which challenges the conventional narratives about homelessness by following the lives of five Atlanta families' homelessness.

The experience of the families within the book are the realities for many across the nation. These families were pushed into homelessness through forces out of their control and kept homeless through systems of inequity and exploitation. As wages do not keep up with costs, more working families will be at an increased risk of becoming homeless.

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