N.Y. State Comptroller: NYC spending on unsheltered homeless soared to $81K per person last year
OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
6:38 PM – Friday, March 20, 2026
A sweeping recent report from New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli revealed that New York City’s spending on services for the unsheltered homeless population has more than tripled since 2019, reaching an estimated $81,700 per person in the 2025 fiscal year.
A State Comptroller is the chief fiscal officer, accountant, and financial watchdog for a state government. They oversee state budgets, track spending, issue payments to state workers and vendors, and perform independent audits of state agencies to ensure legal compliance and prevent fraud, acting as the state’s top bookkeeper.
The findings, released in mid-March 2026, highlight a major disconnect between record-high taxpayer investment and the persistent visibility of street homelessness.
According to the data, the city’s Department of Homeless Services (DHS) spent nearly $368 million on the unsheltered population in FY 2025 — a 262% increase from the $102 million spent in FY 2019.
https://www.oann.com/newsroom/n-y-state-comptroller-nyc-spending-on-unsheltered-homeless-soared-to-81k-per-person-last-year/
