Tracking shelters opened under Mayor de Blasio's "Turning the Tide on Homelessness" initiative

With the number of New Yorkers lacking permanent housing at an all-time high, New York City Mayor de Blasio announced an ambitious effort to open 90 homeless shelters across the city. The effort, "Turning the Tide on Homelessness" will aim to close 360 cluster sites and hotels, and aim to open about 20 shelters annually. While some have been met with controversy, others have been welcomed by neighbors and members of the community. 

In response to historic criticism that shelters had opened overnight with little community oversight, the de Blasio administration has pledged to increase transparency into the process. Under the administration's plan, when a shelter is approved, the Department of Homeless Services will notify the community board and local elected officials 30 days before opening a new facility, or 30 days before the community-based organization's public hearing with DHS to operate the shelter. Additionally, 30 days before opening the facility, DHS will gather input from those elected officials, work with the New York Police Department and then implement any feasible suggestions into its plan.

New York Nonprofit Media are mapping out new facilities that are opening as part of that effort in an effort to both aggregate information related to the development of de Blasio’s 90 shelter initiative – and to help concerned nonprofits hold the administration accountable for their promise to open these shelters – in a more transparent and community-engaged way.