In Ivy, homeless New Yorkers and New Yorkers at imminent risk of homelessness challenge the State of New York’s failure to raise the monthly public assistance shelter allowance in violation of Article XVII of the New York State Constitution, which mandates aid for the needy, and the state’s social services law. For New York City, the maximum shelter allowance for single adults is $215; for a family of three with minor children, it is just $400. The shelter allowance is so low that it is impossible for most needy individuals and families to find private market housing anywhere in New York.