2025 Theses Master's

Complaints or Compassion? A Data-Driven Investigation of NYC311 Street Homeless Assistance and the Department of Homeless Services' Response

Gonzales, Jessica Rose

This thesis investigates New York City’s use of NYC311 complaint data as a tool for managing street homelessness and assesses how this complaint-driven model shapes institutional responses and public service delivery.

By analyzing over 39,000 NYC311 service requests made in Fiscal Year 2024, this research reveals that more than half of all Service Requests resulted in an individual not being found, and only 3% of Service Requests led to someone accepting assistance. These patterns suggest that NYC311 data reflects the spatial visibility of homelessness— particularly near transit hubs and large public institutions—rather unhoused people are.

The study also finds that Service Request frequency is heavily influenced by neighborhood wealth and civic engagement; with disproportionately high reporting capital dense neighborhoods, and underreporting in marginalized areas. Through researching and analyzing existing literature on homelessness, spatial analysis, and algorithmic governance; this thesis argues NYC311 reflects more on who complains rather than what is complained about. NYC311 becomes less a tool for assistance, and more of a mechanism for managing visibility and public discomfort towards unhoused individuals.

Ultimately, this work challenges the assumptions behind complaint-based governance and calls for reimagining public service models that center equity, dignity, and human need over procedural efficiency.