The city agency tasked with serving New York City’s most vulnerable adults has rejected 95% of the people referred to it for assistance this year, officials said Wednesday.

Administrators from the city’s Adult Protective Services program testified about the agency’s rising rejection rate at a City Council hearing organized in response to a series of reports by Gothamist. The reporting revealed how tens of thousands of New Yorkers in need have been found ineligible for support in recent years.

Agency staff step in to arrange medical care, housing help and other support for people whose mental or physical impairments make them susceptible to abuse, exploitation and financial problems, including eviction.

The officials told Councilmember Crystal Hudson that APS found just 5% of the 7,345 referrals eligible for assistance in the first three months of the year – down from 11% of the nearly 30,000 people referred for assistance last year. The soaring rejection rate corresponds with a chronic staff shortage that has left the agency with just six social workers, they testified.

The disclosure marked the first time the agency described in detail the plummeting rate of people found eligible for services. Officials from the Department of Social Services, which oversees Adult Protective Services, had previously refused to disclose the number or percentage of people denied services and instead pointed to an “average monthly caseload” included in the annual mayor’s management report, a scorecard on agency performance.

That caseload includes people referred months or years earlier, but only hinted at the volume of rejections. Hudson, who has called the rejections “extremely concerning,” pressed the agency heads to explain the “huge discrepancy.”

Adult Protective Services Deputy Commissioner Gili Hershkovich-Kim said most people referred to the agency do not meet specific eligibility criteria specified by the state. She attributed the rise in referrals to the agency’s outreach efforts, which she said make more people aware of the services they offer, along with a rise in housing court cases.

“The  majority of our cases have some type of component of eviction,” Hershkovich-Kim said. “That's definitely a trend.”

Evictions are on the rise across the five boroughs, data shows. City rules require marshals carrying out an eviction to first contact the city’s Department of Investigation, which then notifies Adult Protective Services, if they determine a person is elderly, disabled or in some way “infirm.” Eligibility with the agency is one of the few ways a low-income New Yorker can receive a city-funded housing voucher without first entering a homeless shelter.

At the same time, agency leaders said APS is facing a staff shortage and budget constraints

John Rojas, the chief special services officer at the Department of Social Services, said the agency has more than 80 vacant positions. There are now 404 people working at Adult Protective Services, but just six social workers who are charged with making clinical assessments of people with complex needs.

In response to Hudson’s questioning, Rojas said the agency is attempting to hire more staff but the mayor’s preliminary budget plan does not include more funding or positions for Adult Protective Services.

“If we fill our vacancies, I think we're adequately equipped to serve the clients that we have,” Rojas said.

Mayor Eric Adams’ office did not immediately respond to questions about agency staff or funding levels.

Attorneys and advocates for older New Yorkers and people with disabilities, who make frequent referrals to Adult Protective Services, said they found the rejection rate and staffing numbers “shocking.”

“It’s just not credible that 95% of referrals are people who are not eligible,” said Dinah Luck, a senior staff attorney at the organization Mobilization for Justice. “It’s very disturbing and cuts off really significant resources.”

Catherine Trapani, an assistant vice president at supportive housing provider Volunteers of America-Greater New York, said social workers, advocates and attorneys aren’t making referrals on a whim.

By the time someone is referred to Adult Protective Services, trained professionals have already determined they need intensive services,she said.

“These are some of the most vulnerable people in New York City, folks with complex and layered conditions who may be suffering from a mental illness, behavioral health disorder and often a physical health issue that is compounding those problems,” she said.

Trapani said the city needs a better functioning services agency to meet the needs of a growing population of older New Yorkers — more than half of their clients are over 65, according agency data.

“When you get a good Adult Protective Services worker, it can be game-changing,” Trapani said. “They can really restore someone's living situation to one that is dignified and safe.”