Jurisdiction New York City Annual budget $1.07 billion (2016) | Employees 1,949 (2015) Child department NYC DHS Police | |
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Headquarters 33 Beaver Street, 17th Floor
New York, NY 10004 Department executive Steven Banks , Acting Commissioner | ||
The New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS) is an agency within the government of New York City that provides services to the homeless, though its ultimate aim is to overcome homelessness. The guiding principles of the department were outlined at a 1992 New York City Commission on the Homeless: to operate an emergency shelter system for people without housing alternatives, provide services and resources to assist shelter residents in gaining independent housing, and partner with local agencies and non-profits to provide these services. Its two rules are compiled in title 31 of the New York City Rules; state regulations are primarily compiled in title 18 of the New York Codes, Rules and Regulations.
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Organization
NYC DHS operates a group of NYS Peace Officers who enforce State and City laws on DHS property, the NYC DHS Police who are responsible for safety and security inside of NYC DHS Homeless Shelters.
Administrative reviews ("Fair Hearings") are handled by the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, Office of Administrative Hearings.
Programs
In 2010, the department oversaw 208 facilities with 18,616 beds and served 113,553 unique individuals. In 2015, the department's budget was $953.5 million.
Analysis and criticism
In a March 2015 report of the New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) on shelters for families with children, the DOI "found that the family shelters it inspected and reviewed are too often unsafe and unhealthy for children and families". Some homeless say they are denied shelter because the shelter lacks resources for couples without children, and some say they refuse to live in shelters because they are unsafe, because of violence, theft and poor conditions.
History
When the department was created in 1993, New York City was the first city to have a city department that was exclusively focused on the issue of homelessness. The Department of Homeless Services was created in response to the growing number of homeless New Yorkers and the 1981 New York Supreme Court Consent Decree that mandates the State provide shelter to all homeless people. Its first commissioner was Charles V. Raymond. Muzzy Rosenblatt, the agency's first Chief of Staff, may have had a role in convincing Mayor David Dinkins that the homeless shelters could be run more efficiently were it a separate department from the New York City Human Resources Administration. On April 11, 2016, Mayor Bill DeBlasio announced that the department would again become a part of the New York City Human Resources Administration under what he termed "a joint operating agreement.".