New York, NY—Today, Mayor Eric Adams announced that asylum seeker families with children will be limited to 60 day stays in shelters, after which they will need to reapply for a new placement. The administration also announced that some families would be placed in congregate settings.
Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition:
“It’s outrageous the way the Adams administration continues to go out of its way to gut New York City’s right-to-shelter protections. This policy ensures that all New Yorkers, no matter when they arrived here, can maintain a roof over their heads while they stabilize their lives and get on the road to self-sufficiency. Now, Mayor Adams is putting children in danger by forcing some asylum seeking families to stay in congregate settings as well as mandating families re-apply for shelter after 60 days, a move that creates unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles for people who are already struggling. Mayor Adams must start working towards real solutions, like moving people out of shelters and into permanent housing using CityFHEPS vouchers, rather than creating arbitrary rules just to exhaust vulnerable New Yorkers. It’s cruel, unnecessary and clearly designed to force families out of the shelters and onto the street."