Last year, when the flow of new migrants began to increase exponentially on the southern border, and faced with the rejection of border state governments that oppose shaking hands with newcomers, New York Mayor Eric Adams opened the arms, and showed the Big Apple, almost like the promised land for those seeking a better life in the American Union.
The message that in the Big Apple the new migrants could have shelter, food and support for their basic needs, motivated, among others, South Americans like Christian Montilla, to undertake the trip from Venezuela, as he himself claims. But as the months passed, and thousands of people arrived in New York every week, Mayor Adams closed his arms, changed his position and has continued to harden it.
And just as more than 116,000 migrants have passed through the shelter system since last spring, 62,000 of them still housed in the more than 210 sites and hotels that have opened to serve them, thousands more arriving every week, and an expense for the City of almost $2,000 million dollars, in a new chapter in the battle of the immigration crisis, the City has opened two fronts of struggle. On the one hand, the issuance of pamphlets to discourage more people from coming to New York, and on the other, the delivery of subsidized rent vouchers that shelter residents can use in any location in the state to find apartments, and thus decongest the shelters.
This week’s initiative of the new flyers, which had already been implemented without success in July, and which seeks to warn that in the Big Apple there is no longer a bed for so many people, outraged immigrant defense organizations.
And after the Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services, Anne Williams-Isom, defended the new messages on Wednesday, as a way “to combat misinformation at the border” and clarify “to people that New York City has run out of space” and that “asylum seekers now receive letters to leave the reception centers and will not be accommodated in a hotel”, while urging them to go to “a more affordable city”, and that “he will not be able to find work easily”, the voices of rejection did not wait.
“A little over a year ago, Mayor Adams himself touted the legacy of what makes New York special like our history of welcoming immigrants and the crucial role immigrants have played in building this city. However, once again, the Mayor has taken a radical turn,” said Theodore Moore, Vice President of Policy and Programs at the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC). “The recent leaflets that the Adams Administration plans to distribute at the southern border and in New York City shelters and intake centers are another example of Mayor Adams’ outrageous and short-sighted behavior that fails to fully recognize the problem facing the city. as an affordability crisis.”
The activist insisted that the local president refuses to implement more efficient policies that benefit not only newcomers, but in general long-term immigrants and vulnerable New Yorkers who are suffocating with the high costs of rent and living in a affordability crisis.
“The Adams administration knows what the solution should be, but refuses to implement it,” the NYIC leader said. “Instead of investing in humane policies that relieve our overburdened housing system and move our new New Yorkers into permanent housing and self-sufficiency by expanding CityFHEPS vouchers, the Adams Administration is wasting time and resources into diversionary tactics that will continue to make immigrants scapegoats for the future.”
And from the other front of the fight with which the Mayor seeks to alleviate the crisis, with the possibility of New Yorkers in shelters using CityFHEPS assistance vouchers, financed by the City, not only in the five boroughs but throughout New York, the call It is for other localities to accept the coupons and receive the beneficiaries “with open arms” and with good job options. The great limitation, according to the Mayor, is that the vast majority of asylum seekers do not qualify for non-emergency assistance and do not meet the requirements to access CityFHEPS vouchers, because this is stipulated by state laws, therefore that Albany must intervene.
“As a result of the housing crisis and the arrival since last spring of more than 116,000 asylum seekers to New York City requesting shelter, we have more people than ever in the city’s care. Our shelters have exceeded their capacity, but thousands of families still do not have options to access affordable housing in the five boroughs,” said the mayor. “These reforms will give New Yorkers the ability to leave our city’s shelter system and go to other parts of the state where there are more affordable housing options, while also opening up more spaces in our city’s shelter system for the approximately 10,000 migrants who continue to arrive in the city month after month in search of shelter.”
And while the Adams administration says it continues to call on state and federal governments to provide substantial support to help address the growing need for shelters and the newcomer crisis, organizations have expressed hope about the changes.
This was stated by Orlando Ivey, president and CEO of Children’s Rescue Fund, who stated that the expansion of CityFHEPS housing vouchers so that more New Yorkers can obtain permanent housing in the 62 counties of New York State is positive.
“We understand the profound impact that stable housing has on individuals and families and the expansion of CityFHEPS vouchers to include statewide housing opportunities is a great step toward this goal and a testament to the collaborative efforts of the City and the State to address the housing shortage and give people and families a second chance for a better future,” the activist said. “It not only provides hope, but also tangible options for those who are struggling to rebuild their lives.”
Jody Rudin, president and CEO of the Institute for Community Living, said the expansion of housing opportunities for homeless New Yorkers is a step forward in the fight against the affordable housing crisis hitting the Big Apple.
“A stable and permanent home is vitally important for the recovery of health and well-being. “This expansion is a positive step to reduce the length of stay in shelters, move people to permanent housing, and help people recover,” said the advocate.
Crisis of new migrants and shelters in figures
- 116,000 new migrants have arrived in NYC since last year
- 62,000 of them are still housed in shelters and hotels in the City
- 210 emergency sites and hotels are housing new arrivals
- 113,000 homeless people are currently in City shelters
- 10,000 new migrants continue to arrive in New York every month
- 62 counties in New York State, if they accept, could rent apartments to the homeless with CityFHEPS subsidy vouchers
- Most newcomers do not qualify for these assistance vouchers
- The City has almost spent $2,000 million to serve new migrants