In fact, the number of homeless people checking into NYC shelters each night is up 85% just since 2010 and currently stands at the highest level since the Great Depression of the 1930s.  Ironically, the increase in homelessness experienced during the "great recession" of 08/09 was just a blip on the radar compared to the past five years as residential rental rates in NYC have soared.

As CBS points out, while some on the city council of New York City have called for more government support to curb homelessness, efforts taken by Mayor Bill de Blaso have been largely ineffective so far.

The number of homeless people living in New York City has reached a record-high.

"It's definitely something that we cannot stand for as a city," NYC Council Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito said.

In an interview with CBS2, Viverito offered a number of suggestions, including the expansion of the "Living In Communities" (LINC) voucher program that provides money to move families out of a shelter and into permanent housing. But, she said there's a hitch.