Homeless Families Are Waiting Longer in NYC Shelters. Here Are Their Stories

Dirty bath water and a slew of apartment rejections test the faith of three single moms trying to get out of the city’s homeless shelter system. After 14 months, Johanna Garcia finally found an apartment for her and her children—but the journey wasn’t easy, and the average length of stay in shelter for families like hers is only getting longer, new data shows.

VIDEO: Homeless Families Are Waiting Longer in NYC Shelters. Here Are Their Stories

Dirty bath water and a slew of apartment rejections test the faith of three single moms trying to get out of New York City's homeless shelter system.

After 14 months, Johanna Garcia finally found an apartment for her and her children—but the journey wasn’t easy. While the average length of stay in shelter for families like hers is only getting longer, the daily lives of single moms in this system are largely misunderstood.

This documentary was produced by reporters Bahar Ostadan and Clara-Sophia Daly, and was shot during April and May 2022.