Homelessness is everywhere you look in New York City, and the situation is only getting worse.
A recent report showed that the number of homeless people in the five boroughs is at an all-time high and the overall population has risen 39 percent since Mayor Bloomberg took office 10 years ago.
Over 17,000 children were in the shelter system this past April, according to the Coalition for the Homeless, and over 112,000 people slept in shelters in 2011.
Photographer Todd Shaffer depicts the struggles of New Yorkers on the streets in the following images.
There are roughly 50,000 homeless people in New York City, like this East Village man.
Source: Todd Shaffer via Flickr, Coalition for the Homeless.
This man named Tiger used to sleep on Shaffer's Brooklyn stoop and suffered from dementia.
Source: Todd Shaffer via Flickr
Each year more than 110,000 New Yorkers pass through the shelter system, including this man in Tompkins Square Park.
Source: Todd Shaffer via Flickr, Coalition for the Homeless.
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