Percentage of homeless families deemed eligible for NYC shelters declines

The percentage of homeless families approved to live in New York City’s shelter system hit new lows last year, according to recent city data, Gothamist reports. 

While about half of families with children who applied to stay in shelters were deemed eligible in November 2014, last November saw only about 26% of applicants approved. Eligibility was granted to 500 out of 1,900 families who applied, though the acceptance rate ticked up slightly in December.

Families that aren’t found to be eligible can still stay in city shelters during the pandemic thanks to a rule implemented by the city. But advocates for homeless New Yorkers have said that families that have been rejected are unsure how long they’ll be able to stay in shelters and if they can access housing subsidies.

Advocates have said the declining acceptance rates are because families are struggling to access documentation showing where they’ve lived in the past two years, which is needed to apply. But city officials have attributed the decline to the fact that fewer people are being displaced from their homes because of the ongoing eviction moratorium. Steven Banks, commissioner of the city’s Department of Social Services, said that not as many new families are applying, while families that have already been rejected are continuing to reapply.