City Homeless Shelter Stays At Record High, Coalition Finds
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The number of homeless people staying in city shelters is on the rise.
A report by the Coalition for the Homeless says a record high of 43,000 people - including 17,000 children - stayed in shelters each night in April.
The advocacy group's analysis of city data also shows people are staying in shelters longer, with the length of the average stay up 28 percent from last year.
The coalition included people staying in emergency shelters in its report, which the city disputes because it does not count that number in its overall total.
Advocates for the homeless blame the increase on the cancelation of the city's "Advantage" program, which helped people living in shelters find permanent housing.
It was stopped after the Cuomo administration cut the program's state funding in last year's budget.