FYI: Food stamp recipients and families seeking homeless services have continued climbing this year, according to the mayor’s annual management report, released yesterday. The report, available online, offers wide-ranging statistics measuring the city’s well-being. Mayor Bloomberg stressed the positives: a still declining crime rate, less violence in schools and jails, and improving test scores in schools, for instance. But the average number of families per day in the shelter system has continued its climb, reaching 8,963, up from 6,985 in 2002. The number of families entering the system for the first time also continued climbing, up 11 percent to 7,087. Ditto for the number of single adults entering for the first time, which is up 7 percent to 10,758. Meanwhile, the number of people receiving food stamps jumped sharply this year, to over 871,000 from 820,500, after a multi-year decline. The report cites the Human Resources Administration’s effort to make sure those who no longer qualify for public assistance do continue receiving food stamps as the cause for the increase. The number of people not getting public assistance but receiving food stamps has increased 22.4 percent since 2002. [9/18/03]