The change took effect Sept. 22, according to both the Department of Social Services (DSS) and the NYPD.
“[A]ll homeless encampment service requests from 311 will be routed directly to [the Department of Homeless Services, DHS] rather than NYPD,” a DSS spokesperson said. “As a result, DHS outreach teams, not NYPD officers, will assess the reported location of the encampment and offer shelter and support to any individuals encountered in the area.”
The change does not alter the city’s broader policy for clearing encampments. That policy, announced by Mayor Zohran Mamdani in February, calls for DHS outreach teams to visit an encampment for seven days before a cleanup takes place.
What changed this week is how complaints enter that system. Before the change, the city’s 311 website told New Yorkers that officers from the local police precinct would respond within four hours, inspect the location and refer their findings to DHS.
Now, the reports go directly to Homeless Services, where outreach teams assess the location themselves.
DSS said routing complaints directly to its Joint Command Center will also allow the agency to better track encampments from the first 311 report through outreach and cleanup.
The agency is updating StreetSmart, its homeless outreach tracking system, so workers can keep information about 311 complaints, notices, cleanups and outreach visits tied to a specific encampment in one place. Staff will also be able to link client profiles to locations and map encampments across the city.
“These improvements will allow us to assign, track, monitor, and report on encampment work in a more efficient, data-oriented manner,” DSS said.
City 311 data shows roughly 8,650 encampment reports during the first eight months of 2026, after accounting for parallel DHS and NYPD records generated for many of the same complaints.
That was about 7.5% fewer than the roughly 9,350 reports during the same period last year. More than 83% of this year’s reports, roughly 7,210, were in Manhattan.
Those figures represent 311 reports, not unique encampments. Multiple people can report the same location.
NYPD will still be involved in some homeless encampment complaints
June 30, 2021: NYPD tears down couple’s homeless encampment.Photo by Dean Moses
NYPD said crimes, traffic conditions and other public safety issues will continue to be handled through 911, while DHS can request police assistance during an encampment operation.
When officers are assigned to a joint operation, their role is to preserve the peace and prevent crimes, according to the department.
“Any crime, traffic condition, or public safety issue will continue to be directed to the NYPD via 911,” an NYPD spokesperson said. “As always, New Yorkers should continue to call 911 if any individual appears to pose an immediate risk to themselves or others, or if there is suspicious activity.”
The department also said that during certain periods of extreme weather, calls involving homeless people in need of shelter may be routed through 911.
That exception could become relevant this weekend, as the city prepares for a nor’easter expected to bring heavy rain, strong winds and coastal flooding. Officials had not said whether the extreme-weather provision would be activated.
The 311 change comes seven months after Mamdani put DHS in charge of encampment cleanups.
Mamdani briefly paused the Adams administration’s sweep policy after taking office before restarting cleanups in February with homeless services, rather than police, in the lead. He said at the time that the Adams-era approach had failed because it did not consistently connect people living outside with housing.
VOCAL-NY said changing which agency shows up first does not address the larger problem if outreach workers cannot connect people to housing and care.
The homelessness advocacy group, which supported removing police from the initial response, said Thursday that the city still needs more housing, mental health care and substance use treatment.
“To police or not police isn’t the most pressing question when housing and healthcare are so limited,” the group said.
VOCAL-NY called for more safe haven and stabilization beds, faster moves into supportive housing and a larger mental health workforce.
DSS said it is working with other city agencies and supportive housing providers to improve vacancy tracking, speed up repairs and shorten the time it takes to move people into supportive housing.
“Our goal is to build trust with the individuals we encounter, offer shelter placements and services that address their needs, and establish a pipeline to permanent housing,” the DSS spokesperson said.