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NYC seeks volunteers for overnight count as Mamdani begins to tackle homelessness
By
Karen Yi
Published Jan 9, 2026
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By
Karen Yi
Published Jan 9, 2026
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The Mamdani administration is seeking volunteers to help count how many New Yorkers are living on the street.
The federal government requires cities receiving federal funding to conduct an annual point-in-time tally of homeless people sleeping outdoors. The effort is meant to help the city steer resources and services toward homeless people who aren’t residing in shelters.
This year’s Homeless Outreach Population Estimate, or HOPE, count, comes as Mayor Zohran Mamdani takes the helm at City Hall and promises to bolster the city's homeless outreach efforts.
“The work of creating a better city requires our commitment, engagement and effort every day. I encourage every New Yorker to not only join this year’s HOPE Count but the work of building that better city as well,” he said in a statement.
About 4,500 homeless New Yorkers were sleeping on the street during last year's count, about 360 more than in 2024. Still, New York City remains an outlier among major cities because most of its homeless population resides in shelters; the city’s unique right-to-shelter mandate generally guarantees a bed to anyone who asks for one. In Los Angeles, 70% of the homeless population is living on the street, compared to about 3% of homeless New Yorkers, according to federal data.
New York City's Department of Social Services, which leads the count, said it has focused on boosting the number of Safe Haven and stabilization beds that provide more relaxed rules than traditional shelters. The agency helped connect 1,000 formerly homeless people to permanent homes last year.
“At a time when we’re facing an onslaught of federal actions that threaten to gut the city’s safety net and herald a concerning shift in the approach to addressing homelessness nationwide, we must all stand steadfast in our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable amongst us,” Commissioner Molly Wasow Park said in a statement.
Those interested in volunteering for the count, which will take place from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. starting on Jan. 27, can sign up here. During the count, volunteers will spread out across the five boroughs in groups to identify how many people are sleeping on the subway, streets and parks on a given night.
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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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