Shelter violence is down, but complaints about staff are up 46%, the city tells the Council

More than 83,000 people slept in New York City shelters last Sunday. At a City Council hearing Wednesday, the city said serious violence in shelters is falling. It also said residents are complaining more about how they are treated.

Why it matters to residents: when people feel unsafe in shelters, some choose the street instead. The Council's General Welfare Committee held the hearing on shelter safety and on two bills that would require new public reports. Council Member Crystal Hudson opened by noting the right to shelter that grew out of 1980s lawsuits. She said there are now more than 500 shelters (transcript).

What the city told the Council

Department of Social Services Commissioner Erin Dalton said the city oversees 502 shelter sites, seven of them run directly by the city (transcript). She shared these figures:

• Violence: In single adult shelters, where rates are highest, serious violent incidents fell 13% last year, to 2.8 per 1,000 residents. Arrests and major crime complaints at shelter addresses have dropped per resident since fiscal 2023 (transcript).
• Complaints: Residents' complaints about discrimination, assault and harassment rose 19% this year. Complaints about how staff treat residents rose 46% (transcript). "These complaints tell us residents don't always feel safer or respected," she said.
• Deaths: The death rate in shelters fell by about two-thirds in three years. Of 73 people who died in shelter in fiscal 2025, 42 died of an overdose (transcript).
• Transfers: The city moved residents 2,654 times last fiscal year because of safety concerns (transcript).
• Hotels: The city's 365 standard shelters average fewer than four open building violations each. The roughly 169 "flexible capacity" sites, mostly hotels, average about 42 (transcript).

Dalton opened by saying the city doesn't yet measure residents' own sense of safety and dignity, and that she will put such measures in place (transcript).

What our records add

Two bills, both laid over. Int. 387, from Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, would require a yearly report on critical incidents in shelters, from assaults to arson, plus security upgrades and NYPD agreements. Williams said one women's shelter's most serious incidents rose from 123 in 2019 to 208 in 2024 (transcript). Dalton said the city shares the goal. But she said shelter-level security data can't be published, and new reports should match what the city already reports to the state (transcript).

Int. 99, from Council Member Gale Brewer, would report how often families with children are placed in shelters in or next to their old ZIP code. It has 16 sponsors. Brewer said many children in shelters end up with long trips to school (transcript). Officials said the city already tracks a related measure. In the first placement, 62.9% of families were placed in the borough of their youngest child's school (transcript).

Questions on transfers. Council Member Frank Morano asked who gets moved when one resident threatens another. Officials said it depends, and the alleged aggressor may be the one transferred (transcript).

Bills like these wait. Both bills were introduced Jan. 29 and waited 272 days for this hearing. The committee has 55 items pending, 47 of them for more than 180 days.

What's next

To pass, the bills need a committee vote and then a full Council vote. The committee's next listed meeting is Nov. 16. The next stated meeting is Nov. 12.