Officials announced on Monday that the Adams administration is pushing forward with its contentious proposal to require migrant families with children who are currently residing in the city’s shelter system to reapply for housing every 60 days.
According to officials, the objective of the new regulations is to persuade newcomers to search for alternative lodging. This policy aligns with the existing guideline that mandates single adult migrants residing in city shelters to reapply for their accommodations every 30 days.
The authorities at City Hall have taken a strict stance as the number of individuals residing in shelters across the city has skyrocketed since the onset of the migrant crisis last year. At present, over 118,000 individuals, out of which 64,000 are migrants, are residing in facilities that are either run or funded by the city.
Mayor Eric Adams stated that as there are more than 64,100 asylum seekers still under the city’s care and thousands more arriving every week, extending the policy to all asylum seekers in their care is the best way to support migrants in moving forward on their journeys. He further added that this move is an expansion of their existing efforts to provide notices and intensified casework services to adults in their care, which will help them transition to alternative housing.
According to sources, the policy has been under development for a while now. It was speculated that the announcement could have been made as early as last Friday.
The influx of migrant arrivals has picked up pace in recent weeks, despite the ongoing crisis, with as many as 600 arrivals per day in New York City. This surge has once again put pressure on the city’s safety net, which has already been struggling to accommodate the needs of the existing migrant population. The situation is becoming increasingly challenging, and urgent action is needed to address this pressing issue.
According to Joshua Goldfein, a prominent attorney representing Legal Aid in the ongoing battle for the right to shelter, imposing a time limit on shelter stays is both senseless and harmful.
According to him, destabilizing the school placement of children could cause chaos in their lives. Schools will also be affected as students come in and out on a daily basis. He believes that school is the one stable factor in a child’s life, and disrupting that could have serious consequences.
Furthermore, the Adams’ administration has disclosed some fresh information regarding the magnitude and range of the shelter center it intends to establish at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. The former naval air base, currently under the custody of the National Park Service, has been the subject of a legal dispute, as reported by the New York Post.
The plan is to accommodate approximately 500 families in a semi-congregate facility, although this may present a conflict with state regulations, which require each household to have its individual room.
Officials are required to provide accommodations for individuals in need, regardless of their citizenship, due to a series of legal settlements and court decisions, commonly referred to as the ‘right to shelter’. As per this provision, even migrants are entitled to shelter and protection. Recently, Governor Hochul has expressed her support for the decision to roll back the right to shelter for migrants.
The rule still stands, which means that if migrants decide to reapply for shelter, officials are obligated to find them a place to stay.
City Hall’s lawyers are currently advocating in Manhattan Supreme Court to reduce or halt the implementation of the regulations.
A hearing regarding their request is set for Thursday, marking the next step in the process.
