NEW YORK CITY (NewsNation) — New York City migrants who have already been placed in temporary housing and city-run shelters will receive a letter from the city notifying them they have 60 days to find other living arrangements.
New York City officials have needed to get creative when looking for alternative options to house migrants bused to the city as the city reaches capacity.
After weeks of repairs, a former New York City prison will reopen any day now to provide housing for about 500 asylum seekers and migrants. The old Lincoln Correctional Facility, which closed in 2019, could provide a shelter for migrants transitioning to life in America.
However, the number of migrants arriving in the state each day is too great to be able to house them all, which influenced officials’ decisions to implement the new housing policy.
The letter says in part, “The city has made every effort to continue serving the more than 90,000 asylum seekers who have arrived in New York City since last spring, but with an average of 300-500 people still arriving each day, and more than 54,800 migrants still in the city’s care, New York City is at capacity.”
Adult asylum seekers will soon be told they need to find alternative housing and work with city-provided caseworkers to help provide what options they have. This new move will not affect migrant families, only individual adults.
Meanwhile, city officials have started busing migrants to other parts of the state, saying housing migrants should be a shared responsibility.
City leaders estimate the cost of caring for migrants will reach more than $4 billion by next summer. They said the federal government is providing only tens of millions to cover the costs of the facilities.
“We have no more room in the city,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said. “The funnel now is New York City. We still have the ongoing crisis.”
The mayor’s plan to issue the 60 days notice is catching criticism from other high-ranking city leaders. Among them is the city’s public advocate, Jumaane Williams.
“The right to shelter has been in place for over 30 years, and that right does not simply expire after 60 days in the face of a crisis,” Williams said.
The city said any asylum seekers who don’t find new housing after their 60-day notice will be required to reapply for new city-sponsored placement. However, the city made it clear there were no guarantees.