NYS Office of the Comptroller - DiNapoli: Homelessness Falls Statewide Driven by NYC, But Rises Sharply in Many NY Regions

 

New York State’s overall homeless population declined in the past year, even as many communities outside New York City saw troubling increases, according to a new analysis issued today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Department’s (HUD) most recent data show that the homeless population in New York dropped from January 2024 by nearly 8% to 145,560 in January 2025. The decline of 12,459 people was the largest of any state and was driven primarily by declines in New York City. This drop follows a doubling in the homeless from January 2022 to January 2024. DiNapoli’s analysis also highlights the rise in homelessness in many parts of the state, including the Capital Region.

“While the number of homeless declined, there’s a lot of work left to do,” DiNapoli said. “The problem is widespread and it is not confined to major cities. In particular, the public, private and nonprofit sectors need to work together to address the crisis of so many children experiencing homelessness in New York.”

HUD divides the state into 25 regions called Continuums of Care (CoCs). The number of homeless people increased in 17 of these regions, with more than 10% growth in 11. HUD’s data shows the largest increases were in Columbia and Greene counties (58.9%), Troy City and Rensselaer County (55.2%), and Schenectady City and County (41.7%).

Children continue to make up a disproportionate share of New York’s homeless population at 31.7%, which is double the share in the rest of the country.

The report notes that the state is moving ahead with its multi-year housing plan and recently enacted statutory changes, which will direct more school aid to districts with homeless students. DiNapoli has previously called for additional efforts to reduce evictions and provide housing assistance, especially to families with children.

Even as New York puts more resources toward housing, HUD is shifting funding away from “housing first” solutions and making it harder to qualify for federal assistance. DiNapoli’s report emphasizes the need to prioritize housing, in particular for families with children, at the federal, state and local levels.

Report

Homelessness Falls Statewide, But Rises in Many New York Regions

COGE Releases 5 Ballot Proposals and Final Report to Make Government Work Better for New Yorkers

Final ballot props to cut outdoor dining application timeline by 75%, speed up bike lane creation by 33%, accelerate nonprofit contracts and building permits, and strengthen rainy day funds  

  

COGE members will vote to adopt ballot props during public meeting at 5 PM today    

After November election, COGE advisory board will continue to hear New Yorkers’ ideas about how to improve government – as administration furthers commitment to public excellence  

The Commission on Government Efficiency (COGE), the 2026 New York Charter Review Commission, today released five final ballot proposals to make city government work better, faster and more efficiently for New Yorkers. The ballot proposals address outdated, unnecessary and redundant requirements in the City Charter to speed up permits and contracts, save small businesses money, accelerate housing and street safety improvements, strengthen fiscal responsibility – and ultimately, build a more modern city government.  

  

These ballot proposals, accompanying COGE’s final report, are the culmination of 10 public hearings attended by 1,220 New Yorkers across the five boroughs, with 264 live testimonies and 603 pieces of submitted written testimony. While most of COGE’s recommendations will take the form of ballot questions, COGE additionally recommended, and the City is adopting, a number of internal reforms to agency processes that will make government more efficient. COGE was also clear: speed cannot come at the cost of labor standards, safety or quality. True efficiencies are gained not by shortchanging workers, but by listening to their expertise. COGE members will vote on adoption of the final report and ballot proposals at 5 PM today in Manhattan.   

  

The Mamdani administration also announced the continuation of COGE’s efforts in a permanent structure, to further the work of government efficiency for years to come. Due to the enthusiasm New Yorkers showed for engaging with government directly and honestly, following the November election COGE will transition from a charter revision commission to an advisory board. This advisory body will engage New Yorkers about their ideas, explore additional ideas that began to surface during the COGE process this summer and use the input of everyday New Yorkers to advise the Mayor on ongoing efficiency reforms.  

  

“In every borough, at every hearing, New Yorkers told us again and again that they want a government that works at the same speed and efficiency that they do each day,” said Patrick Gaspard, Chair of the Commission on Government Efficiency. “From simplifying construction permitting so we can rapidly tackle the housing crisis to making it easier to offer outdoor dining, we believe these proposals would help make our city more affordable and livable for working New Yorkers. The Commission looks forward to voting on the charter reforms this week and putting our proposals before New Yorkers at the ballot box this November.”  

  

“This Commission is proud of its effort to suggest true efficiencies for how government can function, ones gained not by shortchanging workers or small business owners but by listening to them,” said Ann Cheng, Executive Director of the Commission on Government Efficiency. “Over the past few months, this Commission has scoured the Charter to determine what could be done to modernize our government to meet the challenges our city faces with the scale and speed they require. The Commission is thankful for the hundreds of New Yorkers who testified at hearings and informed these ideas.”

 

Prop 1: Speed Up Timeline for Using Public Space – Including Outdoor Dining, Ramps and Benches

 

•   Cut the eight-month outdoor dining application process by 75% (to 2 months)  

•    Save small businesses up to $1,800 on application costs and thousands of dollars of staff time  

  

The Commission’s proposal would modify the revocable consent process that determines the use of public space by combining the sidewalk café and roadway dining revocable consent process into a single application and modernizing public notice requirements.  

  

Prop 2 and related non-Charter reforms: Reform the Contracting Process to Improve Procurements, including for Small Business and Nonprofits

 

•    Ballot prop will save up to 30 days on procurements  

•    Internal reforms to cut qualified nonprofit procurement time by more than half (13 months to 6)    

 

The Commission’s proposal would reduce burdens on small businesses and nonprofits by simplifying the pre-contracting questionnaire and requiring quarterly meetings of the Procurement Policy Board (PPB) to ensure consistent and transparent regulation of the City’s procurement system. The proposal would also allow the Mayor to delegate certain contract approvals to agencies, make permanent a public comment period instead of a public hearing for contract awards and streamline the issuance of the client services plan.  

  

Beyond ballot props, the City will also begin to move nonprofit Council discretionary awards from procurements to grants, an approach that in pilot stage has shown to cut time to payment from 10 to six months. The City will also begin to competitively procure umbrella agreements with nonprofits to create pools of qualified, pre-vetted nonprofit providers eligible to receive future project-specific task orders, helping save up to seven months off a 13-month process. When approaching procurement, COGE took seriously its commitment to the labor force, both public and private sector, and specifically formulated recommendations that preserve all existing labor standards.  

  

Prop 3: Fast-Track Street Safety Infrastructure Including Bike Lanes, Acquisition of Office Space and Activation of City Land

  

•    Speed up street safety projects, including bike lanes, by at least 33%    

•    Reduce time for sale of small plots of City land from seven months to 90 days    

•    Unlock more than $200 million in revenue for the City from sale of small surplus lots    

  

The Commission’s third proposal streamlines how the City uses its own property. The proposal would simplify review of street safety projects to reduce construction timelines and allow the Commissioner of the Department of Transportation to fast-track critical street infrastructure improvements where there is an identified, immediate safety need. Additionally, this ballot question fast-tracks the sale or lease of small City properties, the air rights above landmarked City properties and the lease of office space for City workers.   

   

Prop 4: Simplify Building Permitting  

 

•    Bring 40 approvals from 18 separate offices and agencies into one place, saving builders time and frustration    

  

The Commission’s proposal would create a centralized permitting hub through which applicants could access and manage construction-related permits and approvals across City agencies. It would also allow additional divisions at the Department of Buildings to approve certificates of occupancy and centralize the City’s waterfront permitting process within the agency.  

   

Prop 5 and related internal reforms: Set Contributions Goals for Rainy Day Fund to Ensure Sufficient Budgetary Reserves    

 

•    Ballot prop establishes reserves target of 12%, aimed at ensuring long-term fiscal stability  

•    Internal reforms commit to review standard hires and promotions within 14 days and capital project initiation applications within 40 days    

 

The fifth ballot proposal would set a target amount of funds held in reserve –– 12% percent of the City’s total tax revenues. The proposal would also require the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in consultation with the Comptroller, to establish a deposit formula that would govern mandatory contributions to the rainy day fund. Beyond the ballot proposal, the City will also begin implementation of OMB service standards for the review of hirings and promotions as well as the review of capital project initiation applications.  

  

The Commission consists of:  

•    Patrick Gaspard, Chair  

•    Ann Cheng, Executive Director  

•    Emma Wolfe, Vice Chair  

•    Susan Kang, Secretary  

•    Marco A. Carrión, Commissioner  

•    Henry A. Garrido, Commissioner  

•    Kapil Longani, Commissioner  

•    Ruth Messinger, Commissioner  

•    Theodore Moore, Commissioner  

•    Ana Oliveira, Commissioner  

•    Dawn Pinnock, Commissioner  

•    Carlina Rivera, Commissioner  

•    Esther Rosario, Commissioner  

•    Marc V. Shaw, Commissioner  

•    Barika X. Williams, Commissioner  

•    Kathryn Wylde, Commissioner  

  

COGE's proposed amendments follow broader efforts by the Mamdani administration to make city government more efficient. Just this week, the Mayor announced Overhauling Procedures and Expanding Navigation (OPEN) for Small Business, a package of more than 50 regulatory reforms to reduce the paperwork and bureaucratic burden facing the city's roughly 180,000 small businesses. The Mayor also created Chief Savings Officers who identified $1.7 billion in savings across city government, cut red tape for housing construction through the SPEED (Streamlining Procedures to Expedite Equitable Development) report and launched Public Interest Technology (PIT) Crews to deploy teams of technologists to tackle public problems with in-house digital solutions.

Housing Lottery Launches for 3556 Holland Avenue in Williamsbridge, The Bronx

 

The affordable housing lottery has launched for 3556 Holland Avenue, a seven-story residential building in Williamsbridge, The Bronx. Designed by Badaly Architects and developed by Vilson Lumaj, the structure yields 106 residences. Available on NYC Housing Connect are 20 units for residents at 80 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $75,703 to $146,560.

Residences are equipped with intercoms, energy-efficient appliances, air conditioning, and name-brand kitchen appliances, countertops, and finishes. Amenities include a shared laundry room, laundry room, elevator, laundry service, and an on-site resident manager. Tenants are responsible for electricity, including electric stove, hot water and heat.

3556 Holland Avenue in Williamsbridge, The Bronx via NYC Housing Connect

At 80 percent of the AMI, there is one studio with a monthly rent of $2,046 for incomes ranging from $72,000 to $124,150; 13 one-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $2,166 for incomes ranging from $81,120 to $122,160; and six two-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $2,549 for incomes ranging from $97,406 to $146,560.

Prospective renters must meet income and household size requirements to apply for these apartments. Applications must be postmarked or submitted online no later than July 28, 2026.

Attorney General James Secures $375,000 from 1-800-Flowers for Deceiving Consumers About Automatic Subscription Renewals

1-800-Flowers Must Pay $375,000 in Penalties, Change Subscription Policies, and Provide Refunds to Customers 

New York Attorney General Letitia James secured $375,000 from 1-800-Flowers.com, Inc. (1-800-Flowers) for misleading consumers and enrolling customers in automatically-renewing paid subscriptions. 1-800-Flowers sells flowers, food, and other gifts through a host of brands, including 1-800-Flowers.com, 1-800-Baskets.com, Cheryl’s Cookies, Harry & David, Shari’s Berries, The Popcorn Factory, and more. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found that 1-800-Flowers failed to clearly disclose the terms of a subscription service that included free shipping, failed to provide consumers with the subscription acknowledgment required by New York law, and did not notify subscribers before the subscription renewed automatically. As a result, many customers did not realize they had signed up for a yearly subscription and were charged recurring fees for a service they never used. Under the settlement with OAG, 1-800-Flowers must pay $375,000 in penalties, change its subscription practices, and offer restitution to subscribers.

“Companies that trick consumers into signing up for recurring subscriptions are breaking the law and costing New Yorkers their hard-earned money,” said Attorney General James. “1-800-Flowers buried their terms in fine print and failed to warn consumers they were signing up for automatically renewing subscriptions. My office is putting a stop to these deceptive practices and ensuring New Yorkers get their money back.”

New York law requires subscription terms to be clearly disclosed to customers, including the minimum term length, the fact that the subscription renews, and the cancellation policy. Businesses must also get affirmative consent for automatic renewals, provide a post-purchase acknowledgment, and offer an easy cancellation process.

1-800-Flowers offers a “Celebrations Passport” subscription across its brands that eliminates shipping fees and service charges on orders for a yearly fee priced between $14.99 and $29.99. The OAG found that between February 2021 and June 2022, 1-800-Flowers’ subscription terms were disclosed only in fine print, in linked terms and conditions, or in pop-out boxes a consumer had to click on to view. 1-800-Flowers also did not provide consumers with an adequate post-purchase acknowledgment and did not give them sufficient notice prior to renewal. 

The OAG, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) received complaints from consumers misled by recurring 1-800-Flowers subscriptions.

• One customer reported that they could not find an option to cancel their subscription on 1-800-Flowers.com, nor could they find any guidance on how to cancel by phone or mail. The customer also noted there was no clear way to remove their payment information to avoid recurring charges.
• Another customer described their frustration after discovering they had been charged for the service for two years without receiving any notification. When they called to ask for a refund, they were told 1-800-Flowers’ policy was not to offer a refund more than 30 days after a purchase.

The OAG settlement requires 1-800-Flowers to pay $375,000 in penalties and provide refunds to eligible New York subscribers who filed complaints with the company or with OAG, FTC, or BBB. 1-800-Flowers will also provide restitution to eligible consumers nationwide who purchased the Celebrations Passport but did not use the subscription benefits. 

In addition to paying penalties and restitution, 1-800-Flowers must improve its disclosures, get informed affirmative consent from subscribers who sign up for recurring subscriptions, provide customers with a subscription acknowledgment that includes cancellation information, and sufficiently notify consumers before their subscription renews. 

ICE Lodges Detainer Asking North Carolina to Not Release Illegal Alien Charged in Hit-and-Run that Killed 3 People

This illegal alien was RELEASED into the country by the Obama Administration after law enforcement turned him over to ICE following his conviction for a prior hit-and-run 

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the following statement after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer asking North Carolina officials to not release from jail an illegal alien who has been charged for a fatal hit-and-run that killed 3 people.

According to local reporting, the crash occurred on July 18 in Salisbury. The Salisbury Police Department responded to the scene of a collision involving two vehicles. In one vehicle, two occupants were pronounced dead at the scene while the third occupant was airlifted for medical treatment, but later succumbed to their injuries. The second vehicle was found a short distance from the scene. A K-9 unit located the driver after he had attempted to flee the scene.

After being transferred to a hospital for treatment, the driver of the second vehicle – Javiel Pena Sola, a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador – was charged with THREE counts of felony hit-and-run involving serious injury or death. ICE lodged a detainer on July 22 asking North Carolina officials to not release him from the Rowan County Jail.

Javiel Pena Sola

Sola’s criminal history includes prior convictions for reckless endangerment, failure to stop after accident involving damage to attended vehicle, and driving without a license in Maryland in July 2015, and an arrest for escaping from custody. After his arrest in Maryland on the charge of escaping from custody, officials in Baltimore honored an ICE detainer and turned him over to ICE custody in March 2016. He was then RELEASED by the Obama Administration two months later in May.

“This criminal illegal alien from El Salvador is facing felony charges after a hit-and-run that killed three people in North Carolina," said Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. “His criminal history includes prior convictions in 2015 for hit and run, reckless endangerment, and driving without a license. Although ICE had arrested him in 2016, the Obama Administration RELEASED him into American communities. These deaths were 100% preventable. Open borders and sanctuary policies have deadly consequences.”

Sola claims to have illegally entered the United States through Arizona in April 2002.

Man Caught in Florida with Over 100 Kilos of Marijuana Faces Federal Indictment

 

James Craig, 46, of Mokena, Illinois, has been indicted in federal court on one count of possession with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charge.

Craig appeared in federal court for his arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Zachary Bolitho in Pensacola, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for September 8, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. before District Court Judge M. Casey Rodgers.

Craig faces between five years to 40 years in prison if convicted.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Task Force. 

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Florida Pharmacist Convicted of Massive Oxycodone Distribution Conspiracy

 

Defendant dispensed 300,000+ pills to patients with no medical need at 10x the price

A federal jury in the Southern District of Florida convicted a Florida licensed pharmacist and pharmacy owner for her role in dispensing over 300,000 oxycodone 30mg pills to pharmacy patrons who had no medical need for the drug.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Olushola Yusuf, 60, of Tampa, dispensed oxycodone to nearly all her pharmacy customers. Yusuf charged customers approximately 10 times the typical cost of the drug and required payment from them in cash. In total, Yusuf dispensed at least 335,351 pills of oxycodone 30mg during the conspiracy. Oxycodone 30mg is the maximum strength available of the drug and is both sought after and potentially dangerous due to its potency. It is typically prescribed to seriously ill patients, such as those suffering from chronic cancer pain or traumatic injuries.

“The defendant abused the public trust by using her pharmacies to unlawfully distribute deadly opioids,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. “This conviction sends an unmistakable message: whether you deal drugs on a street corner or from behind a pharmacy counter, the Fraud Division will hold you fully accountable under the law.”

“Olushola Yusuf did not simply ignore red flags. She built her business around them,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “She knowingly flooded South Florida communities with more than 335,000 high-dose oxycodone pills, even after her employees and the DEA warned her about the dangers of her conduct. Yusuf charged extraordinary cash prices, served drug dealers and customers who traveled long distances, and put profit ahead of patients, public safety, and her responsibilities as a pharmacist. Yesterday, a federal jury held her accountable.”

“Pharmacists occupy a position of public trust and serve as a critical safeguard against the diversion of controlled substances,” said DEA Chief of Operations Matthew W. Allen. “By dispensing hundreds of thousands of oxycodone pills to virtually anyone willing to pay inflated cash prices, the defendant abandoned that responsibility, exploited addiction, and endangered lives for personal profit. This conviction reinforces DEA’s commitment to the American people: no one is above the law when they violate the public’s trust and contribute to the unlawful distribution of dangerous drugs.”

“By distributing dangerous and highly addictive narcotics, the defendant demonstrated a clear disregard for their community and endangered countless residents who should have been able to trust their pharmacist,” said FBI Co-Deputy Director Christopher Raia. “The opioid epidemic continues to plague our nation, which is why the FBI, along with our partners, will continue to hold the criminals poisoning our communities with these drugs accountable.”

Yusuf owned and operated two pharmacies, Boots LLC d/b/a Striderite (Boots) in Margate, Florida, and Chans Pharmacy Plus, Inc. (Chans) in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Yusuf distributed oxycodone 30mg pills through these pharmacies. Customers drove long distances across the state of Florida to have Yusuf fill prescriptions that they could not get filled at any other pharmacy. Some customers paid as much as $1,000 a month in cash to Yusuf for the drugs. And some customers were drug dealers, who picked up oxycodone pills purportedly on behalf of dozens of patients at a time who were not present. According to witnesses at trial, Yusuf kept the doors to her pharmacies locked during business hours, directing employees only to open the door for certain identified customers. Yusuf continued to dispense the oxycodone in this way even after repeated warnings from her employees and the DEA about the dangers of her pharmacy operations.

Boots Pharmacy in Margate, FL.

Chans Pharmacy in Pembroke Pines, FL. 

Cash paid to Yusuf for oxycodone 30mg

The jury convicted Yusuf of conspiracy to illegally distribute drugs and five counts of illegal drug distribution. Yusuf’s co-defendant, Saman Gimenez, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to illegally distribute drugs and is scheduled to be sentenced in October of this year. Yusuf faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count. A sentencing hearing will occur on October 14, 2026. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

HHS-OIG, FBI, and DEA are investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Angela Benoit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacqueline DerOvanesian for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the Fraud Division. The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

The Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since 2007. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.