The number of people sleeping in city homeless shelters has reached a record high of nearly 60,000 as of Thursday, according to the Department of Homeless Services.
The department expects that number to soon surpass the 60,000 mark.
The top official overseeing homeless policy in the de Blasio administration said the numbers are not entirely unexpected.
"As long as records have been kept, going back in time, this is clearly a high number. but it's not as high as it was projected to be," New York City Human Resources Commissioner Steven Banks said. "Just five months ago when we announced reforms, I was very clear in saying the number may go up."
City officials said the programs they have implemented in recent months should bring down the homeless population soon, but they could not give an exact timeline when New Yorkers may see the situation improve.