Sleepless nights, riding around on the subway, vulnerable to the elements and the dangers of the New York City night. This is the reality for many 16-24 year old homeless youth in New York City. More and more young people are being pushed onto the streets due to a policy decision made by the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), which runs the shelters for this age group.

 DYCD has decided to hold firm on a policy they let go of during the pandemic, stating that the five, 24-hour Drop-In-Centers for 16-24 year olds are no longer allowed to let clients sleep at Drop-Ins. The best they can offer is allowing these young people to sleep in chairs through the night. The strain placed on these drop in’s is already great, with more and more young people coming to them every night. Now Drop In Staff are expected to tell clients to stay up through the night, and no longer be safe places to sleep. As social workers, and some us shelter workers for this population, we understand that this places clients and staff in an unfair and unthinkable position.

This policy actively harms the mental health of homeless and runaway youth, as it affects their sleep. Studies have shown that lack of sleep can have severe negative effects on an individual’s physical, emotional, and psychological well-being. For example, sleep impacts many cognitive functions such as memory, learning, attention, and emotional regulation. Although this directive allows for rest, it does not allow the DYCD clients opportunity for restorative sleep, where an individual feels rested upon waking up. Lack of restorative sleep may have a depressive effect, and those who experience poorer sleep quality often feel heightened depressive symptoms. The youth and young adults that are seeking out services from drop-in centers are already experiencing homelessness and other risk factors that are contributing to their need for services. Restorative sleep has a significant impact on their mental health and ability to cope during a time in their life when they face many adversities. 

DYCD’s intention is to get youth into shelters rather than Drop-Ins, but their policy does not acknowledge the reality on the ground! There are currently only 754 shelter beds for people of this age range, but in the first FOUR MONTHS of fiscal year 2023, 1,445 youth received services at drop-in centers. DYCD requires paperwork for youth to be placed in crisis shelters, which delays shelter placement, especially in the middle of the night. 14-17 year olds are not permitted to use adult shelters, and youth over 18 still often feel at risk with the older adult population at those shelters. Until there are enough youth shelter beds for for the growing RHY population, Drop-Ins must remain a place for them to safely spend the night. 

We demand that DYCD waive this policy and allow young people to sleep in Drop-In Centers until there are enough available shelter beds for this age group! Mayor Adams has recently announced his plan to address youth homelessness that includes, “cutting through city bureaucracy to better serve youth.” What better way to start that pledge than by allowing homeless youth to sleep in the drop in centers currently serving their other immediate needs.