QUESTION
What are the per diem costs for different types of shelter housing, and will these costs change?
1:51:06
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170 sec
The Department of Social Services provides a breakdown of per diem costs for shelter housing, highlighting the cost management efforts and the shift from hotels to long-term shelters.
- For single adults, the per diem cost is $145.13, for adult families without minors, it's $243.51, and for families with children, it's $232.40.
- The overall per diem for asylum seekers citywide is $388, which includes both the DHS system and the hurricane response.
- Efforts are underway to manage down the per diem costs for asylum seekers by focusing on long-term shelter solutions.
- Commercial hotels are an expensive shelter option, and there's an ongoing effort to move away from them and open high-quality, cost-efficient, long-term shelters.
- Progress has been made in moving families with children out of hotels, but challenges persist due to the asylum crisis.
Adrienne E. Adams
1:51:06
Okay.
1:51:06
Can you provide a per diem cost breakdown of each shelter housing type are broken down by asylum or non asylum?
Molly Wasow Park
1:51:14
Yes.
1:51:14
Absolutely.
1:51:15
So our overall per diem numbers So these are our macro level for single adults.
1:51:24
The average per diem is a $145.13.
1:51:29
For adult families, which is any family composition that doesn't include a minor child.
1:51:34
It's $243.51.
1:51:38
And for families with children, it's $232.40.
1:51:44
The overall asylum per diem, and this is a citywide of asylum number is, I believe let me double check that.
1:51:54
It's $388 is the overall asylum that is inclusive of both the DHS system and the hurricane.
Adrienne E. Adams
1:52:06
And the hurricane.
1:52:07
Yeah.
1:52:09
Do you see those numbers changing at all?
Molly Wasow Park
1:52:13
I mean, I I absolutely think that the the we will see changes in the asylum number as there is a push to manage costs down.
1:52:23
I think what is most important for DHS in terms of managing our overall per diem numbers is making sure that we are focused on citing long term shelters rather than using hotels.
1:52:38
Commercial hotels are an incredibly expensive way to provide shelter.
1:52:42
It is why separate written apart from the asylum crisis that we have a pipeline of shelters and continue to open shelters even though Our goal is to reduce the size of the shelter population.
1:52:54
It's really important that we take action to get out of hotels even before the
Adrienne E. Adams
1:53:00
preaching to the choir, commissioner, preaching to the choir.
Molly Wasow Park
1:53:03
Even before the asylum crisis, we meant something before
Adrienne E. Adams
1:53:05
the asylum crisis this
Molly Wasow Park
1:53:07
as in hotel.
Adrienne E. Adams
1:53:08
Absolutely right.
1:53:09
This has been a Clarion call for particularly Southeast Queen's in my district for decades.
Molly Wasow Park
1:53:15
Yes.
1:53:15
So we'd made real progress.
1:53:17
We had all the families with children, hotels closed.
1:53:20
We obviously had to take a big step back from that progress.
1:53:24
Just very unfortunate, but we remain really committed to it, and we are continuing to cite and open new high quality shelters in buildings that are really designed to meet the needs of both communities and of people experiencing homelessness.
1:53:42
They are better for clients, they're better for communities, and they're less expensive, more committed to that.
Adrienne E. Adams
1:53:47
Agree with the movement from hotels overall goal will always be to get everyone into housing.
1:53:54
Absolutely.
1:53:55
Thank you for your testimony.
