>> this is josiah grub. say hi josiah. >> how old are you josiah? >> three. >> so where are you sleeping? >> man wherever they place us. >> you come in they'll put you on a ten-day placement. and then they'll be like okay you're either denied or approved. >> and if you're denied? >> if you're denied, you have to come back and do the process all over again. >> and that's what you're doing now? >> for the third time. >> new york city has an obligation to provide shelter to all individuals who are homeless. because of that tradition, new york city has the largest public shelter system in the united states. >> patrick markee is one of new york's leading advocates for the homeless. >> the cost of shelter is exorbitant. the city now spends more than a billion dollars a year just in shelter and emergency services for homeless people. >> today new york operates over 250 homeless shelters. but still, about half of the families who apply for shelter are rejected. >> the city has put in place these kind of bureaucratic barriers that wrongfully and unlawfully d