AP Photo Homeless population hits another record high under de Blasio

The number of families and single adults in New York City homeless shelters has reached another record high in November, according to data posted on the Department of Homeless Services website on Tuesday.

The continuously growing shelter population is shaping up to be a political liability for Mayor Bill de Blasio. There were 13,164 families with children in DHS shelters on average in November, 0.5 percent more than in October and 25 percent more than in December 2013, the last month of former mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration.


There were 2,479 adult families (with no minor children) in shelter in November, an increase of 2.7 percent from October and 32 percent more than December 2013.

And there were 13,472 single adults in DHS shelters in November, 1.1 percent more than October and 35 percent more than December 2013.

De Blasio and his staff have maintained that despite the growth in the shelter population, their policies are having an effect and the shelter population would be much higher without their new prevention and rental assistance programs.

"Our current prevention and rehousing programs have substantially slowed the rate of growth in homelessness that has built up over the past twenty years," said Lauren Gray, a spokeswoman for DHS, in an emailed statement. They estimate that there would have been 67,000 people in shelter this summer; instead there were roughly 60,000.

Two of de Blasio's potential rivals in the 2017 mayoral campaign have recently attacked his handling of the issue.

Republican real estate executive and mayoral hopeful Paul Massey said he would eradicate homelessness if he were mayor and criticized de Blasio's handling of the issue on Monday and Republican City Councilman Eric Ulrich criticized de Blasio's handling of the issue in October.

Meanwhile, a Quinnipiac poll released last month showed that 59 percent of New York City voters disapprove of how he is handling poverty and homelessness.

De Blasio's campaign defended its record in an emailed statement.

"Under Mayor de Blasio, 48,000 people have left or avoided homeless shelters thanks to the City’s rental assistance program, while increased legal services have brought evictions down 24% and kept another 21,000 people in their homes, and expanded emergency rental assistance has helped another 150,000 New Yorkers. New York City is doing more than ever to help our homeless neighbors and families," said Phil Walzak, a spokesman for de Blasio's campaign.

See the latest data here: http://on.nyc.gov/2g7R9bK

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