Letter from the CEO

Dear Partners,

You saved more than 2,000 homes across New York City this past year. Thank you!

This achievement increases the total of your impact over the last three years to saving 5,500 homes for 13,000 New Yorkers. FY25 marked the close of our three-year prevention strategy, which determined to show that the innovative approach of stepping in before someone loses their home is a better, faster and more economically sound solution to homelessness than letting a family lose their home and end up in shelter. Evaluation of that period shows that prevention works:

I am excited to share that today, 93% of the New Yorkers you partnered with us to support remain housed.

By preventing these families from losing their homes and going into shelter, you ensured people were able to retain their jobs and their children were able to stay in school, a key step in disrupting and ending intergenerational homelessness. And, by saving homes, you saved taxpayers’ money: your impact is the equivalent of more than half a billion in public spending on shelter.

I invite you to learn more about your impact by reading the client, donor and volunteer quotes and stories throughout this report, as well as the strategy impact evaluation data. From Linda’s and Toni’s struggles to keep safe homes for their families to Charlie’s and Ryan’s commitment to volunteering with the Young Professionals, Molly’s expertise coupled with compassion informing her major donor decision-making and the General Atlantic team’s long time dedication to supporting housing for the most vulnerable New Yorkers, you will see how partnership is the heart of our work and impact.

This year, the communities we serve have faced unprecedented challenges. Federal policy changes that have created job losses or fear of going to work, record high food and rent costs, loss of benefits and simultaneous cuts to nonprofit funding are squeezing the most vulnerable households from all ends. More New Yorkers are falling behind on rent as they struggle to juggle increased food and household costs with income and benefits cuts. Sadly, their pain is only beginning. As is typical in times of crisis or disaster, the housing impact, particularly risk of eviction and homelessness, only comes to fully bear on the most vulnerable households many months after the news cycle has moved on. For many, the dawning of 2026 brings a rolling schedule of policy changes in housing, health and food supports that put them at serious risk of losing their home.

Collectively, we know homelessness is never the right policy. It hurts families and communities, and costs more. The average household arrears bill of $3,500 v. the average shelter cost of $100,000 underscores that preventing homelessness is the most economic and moral approach. To this end, and on foot of three years of data proving that prevention works, we set our new FY26-28 strategy to continue and deepen our Save Homes prevention impact by building prevention partnerships across the most vulnerable city communities.

You have made the vision of preventing NYC homelessness a reality. We are grateful for your innovation, and we are proud to persevere against the challenges ahead and work on your behalf to end homelessness.

Áine Duggan
President and CEO