Young and homeless in New York | DW Documentary

For many, New York City is a place of dreams. But John Torres knows it's darker sides. He and his family live in one of the city's homeless shelters.
For more than a year John Torres and his wife Zoe have been looking for an apartment, without any luck. A daughter being added to the equation hasn't made things any easier. John has a part-time job, but it doesn’t pay enough for them to make ends meet. The challenge he faces is one affecting many. As of January 2023, around 650,000 Americans are in a similar position - the highest number of homeless people in the USA ever, with more than 90,000 in New York alone. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many aid programs have been discontinued and the cost of housing has risen so dramatically, that in some cases residents can no longer afford the rent and end up on the streets. Many of the organizations offering aid are privately funded, like the one helping John Torres. But finding affordable housing is difficult. A report by Benjamin Alvarez Gruber.