Advocates in Erie County say the local homeless population has been steadily growing and has become harder to stabilize. Last summer, the Homeless Alliance of Western New York estimated there were about 922 people experiencing homelessness countywide, most of them in Buffalo.
Outside of New York City, Long Island and Westchester, the counties around Buffalo and Niagara Falls have the highest homeless population in the state, according to a January 2025 report from State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office. Here is a directory of some resources available to homeless people in Western New York.
Behind The News: Reporting on the homeless in Western New York
