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NY lawmakers OK measure requiring Wi-Fi in homeless shelters statewide
By
Karen Yi
Published Jun 11, 2026
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By
Karen Yi
Published Jun 11, 2026
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High-speed broadband access could be coming to every homeless shelter across New York state under a newly passed bill awaiting Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature.
The bill, passed by the Legislature earlier this month, requires every homeless shelter to make Wi-Fi available in private and common areas and ensure download and upload speeds of at least 1 gigabit per second.
A spokesperson for the governor’s office said she would review the bill.
Homeless advocates and lawmakers say offering free Wi-Fi will make it easier for homeless New Yorkers to find work and housing, and keep in touch with friends and family. They say it also could help people find stability more quickly and exit the shelter system. In New York City, more than 100,000 people are sleeping in a city shelter — near a record high.
“To look for housing, to apply for housing, you need the internet,” said Erica Crew, the housing campaigns manager for VOCAL-NY, a statewide organization that advocates for low-income communities.
“ We all use Wi-Fi so often, and it's almost silly to talk about," she said. "Anyone would agree that it's such an important part of the way we live our lives and people in shelter deserve that access, too.”
Hotel shelters or temporary housing facilities for domestic violence victims or runaway youth would also be required to provide high-speed broadband. The bill also requires a shelter provider to display any required password or username for all residents.
Gothamist previously reported that a survey of 200 homeless New Yorkers found just a quarter of them had Wi-Fi in their shelters and less than a third had access to computer rooms. Most said they used their personal cellphone data to access the internet; more than half had to pay for exceeding their data plans. The survey was conducted by VOCAL-NY and Take Root Justice, a legal and policy nonprofit.
“I used to go to use the Wi-Fi in the subway station to apply for housing,” said Milton Perez, a member of VOCAL-NY’s Homelessness Union who was homeless for five years.
He said the bill is crucial as the Trump administration implements new work requirements for food assistance benefits known as SNAP and Medicaid. Thousands of New Yorkers who don’t submit the proper paperwork to demonstrate compliance with the work rules could lose their benefits.
Perez said Wi-Fi in shelters would “just be easier for people, especially somebody that's suffering or going through the trauma of being homeless” rather than having to “jump through all these hoops” to get on the internet.
The Coalition for the Homeless estimated last year that about 40% of single adult shelters and 60% of shelters for families without dependent children don’t have Wi-Fi access throughout the building.
City officials said all shelters for families with children either have Wi-Fi or are in the process of having it installed. A spokesperson for the city’s Department of Social Services, which oversees city shelters, said the agency was also reviewing the implications of the bill.
Installing Wi-Fi can be costly, but New York's chief economic development agency, Empire State Development, announced a $20 million investment that would cover Wi-Fi installation across state shelters. The initiative is part of Hochul’s broader investment in digital infrastructure.
Karen Yi
Karen Yi covers homelessness and poverty. She joined the WNYC and Gothamist newsroom in 2020. Before that, Karen covered Newark for the Star-Ledger and spent almost a decade working for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida. She grew up in Miami and has a dog named Cashew. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-589-1460.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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