Metro

City homeless agency about to grow — again

The city agency overseeing the homeless — already operating with a record number of employees — is going to grow again, it was disclosed Thursday.

Steven Banks, commissioner of the Social Services Department, testified at a City Council hearing that he intends to add 263 positions to grapple with a steady number of applicants seeking shelter, to repair shelters, and to deal with domestic-violence issues and other factors that leave people out on the street.

Of those new jobs, 153 were allocated to the Human Resources Administration and 110 to the Department of Homeless Services.

Both agencies fall under the new Social Services Department, which Mayor de Blasio said last month would be created as part of a “new vision” to battle homelessness.

Records show Homeless Services is already operating with more employees than ever, 2,641, and has a budget of $1.05 billion for the 2017 fiscal year starting July 1, up $194 million since January.

In 2013, the last year of Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s administration, the agency had 1,848 workers.

As of Thursday, the city was housing 57,811 homeless people, including 44,763 family members and 13,048 single adults.