Yesterday I had some figures from the NYC vs LA deathmatch over who can spend more on the homeless population. Los Angeles was looking pretty good with $650,000 per housing unit for the homeless, but don’t count NYC out yet.
These numbers come from the NY comptroller’s annual report via Mike Bird of the Economist.
New York City’s unsheltered population increased from 3,588 in FY 2019 to 4,504 in FY 2025 — a 26 percent increase from pre-pandemic levels
In that time, spending on services for this population has more than tripled, growing from $102 million in FY 2019 to nearly $368 million in FY 2025 (a 262 percent increase). Its share of spending has also increased, from just under 5 percent to nearly 9 percent of total DHS spending.
This part of the pattern is consistent. Spend more on a problem and you create more of it.
Homeless spending tripled and the homeless population rose 26%.
But let’s break down those numbers. Divide $368 million by 4,504 and you get $81,705 in spending her homeless person.
Obviously that’s not the actual amount being given to the homeless. That’s the money going to various agencies and contractors and the vast majority of it goes to various politically connected folks. If the issue were resources for poor people, you could just give a check to each bum. But the bums are mentally ill drug and alcohol addicts and the welfare state cultivates them to be able to cash in. And are they ever cashing in.
In January 2025, the City announced an additional $106 million in the annual baseline budget to open 900 additional Safe Haven beds, bringing the City’s total low-barrier bed capacity to 4,900 beds
And we’re not even in the full Mamdani.
My best advice is if you’re living in a major homeless city, is to get a second job. You’ll need it to pay for the homeless spending that’s buying mansions for some people in the homeless-industrial complex.
