A new report on homelessness says the city is about to reach a troublesome milestone.
The Coalition for the Homeless says recent data shows nearly 20,000 children are sleeping in city shelters each night.
That number would be even higher but 65 percent of families who have applied to stay in shelters in the past year were turned away.
The study says over the past year and a half, the total shelter population has gone up nearly 15 percent, with an estimated 50,000 people homeless in the city every night.
The advocacy group claims the city is turning away families who would have previously qualified as it struggles to deal with the surging demand for service.
NY1 has reached out city officials for comment.