The United States government is primarily responsible for the increase in the number of homeless people in New York City; due to their previous negligence in providing immediate solution and aggravation of the problem due to some policies stipulated by them. (Thesis) According to the United States Public Health Service Act, a homeless person is someone who lacks housing; this includes those residing in supervised public or private facilities such as shelters. The number of homeless people staying in New York City shelters was seen to have reached the highest levels since the Great Depression of the 1930s, according to the 2013 Coalition for the Homeless Report. Furthermore, the report showed that the number of homelessness in New York City increased by a staggering 13 percent from January 2012 to January 2013. One of the primary causes of homelessness in New York City is the economic recession, which has resulted in a long-term unemployment crisis among many New York citizens York. Second, the rising cost of rent in New York City has made it unaffordable for poor citizens to secure a permanent roof over their heads. (Gambino, New York homeless shelters housing a record 53,000 people per night) It is the United States government's job to ensure the well-being of its citizens; this includes helping citizens acquire and maintain regular and adequate housing. Therefore, the government should take primary responsibility for addressing the homelessness crisis in New York, although society and social service providers also play a role in reducing levels of homelessness in New York City. However, instead of solving the homeless problem in New York, they have caused an increase in the number of homeless people. First, the government is responsible for the increase in home...... middle of paper ......y plans they intended to implement. Therefore, the homeless problem in New York will not be solved unless more government authorities begin to step in and work with De Blasio to solve the homeless problem in New York. In conclusion, the government has played a major role in causing the increased level of homelessness in New York, due to neglect of the situation, not taking immediate action and further exacerbating the situation through previous policies put in place. Although some government authorities have made efforts to solve the problem of homelessness in New York, the issue of homelessness in New York has not changed for the better. This is due to the lack of support and cooperation from other government authorities regarding policies adopted to solve the problem of homelessness, as they do not see it as an important problem compared to economic issues..