Early last week, Mayor Eric Adams enlisted federal aid to help with what he said was a flood of 2,800 asylum seekers making it difficult for New York to comply with its legal obligation to provide housing to those in need, known as the right. take shelter.
Mr Adams said the influx was caused in part by migrant families who “arrived on buses sent by the Texas and Arizona governments”.
The mayor’s comments sparked his latest political entanglement, this time against a national backdrop: His allegation started a back-and-forth with the governors of those states—much like a similar accusation from Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser. , had drawn headlines a few days earlier.
But homeless advocates said Mr. Adams to blame the entire peak in the refugee population on migrants is a distortion that diverts attention from the city’s homeless crisis, leaving vulnerable families in the center.
Late last week, the city admitted it had violated the right to shelter law when four families slept overnight at a homeless shelter. The Legal Aid Society said it had not recalled such a violation since at least 2014.
And on Wednesday, there were more than 48,600 people in the shelter system, compared to just under 46,000 in May.
The image of children sleeping on hard plastic chairs in an office lit by fluorescent lights dates back decades to a grimmer New York era, an image Mr. Adams would want to erase as he attempts to meet the Democratic National Convention in 2024. Pull. That effort may already be hampered by the perception — which he sometimes propagates — that serious crime is spiraling out of control in the city.
The city’s failure to build enough affordable housing cannot be attributed to “people fleeing violence from other countries,” said Shahana Hanif, a councilor and chair of the Council’s immigration committee.
Some facts are not up for debate. The number of migrants who arrived at the southern border last month is the highest in years. At the same time, it’s not uncommon for the shelter count to increase at this time of year, as families housed in overcrowded apartments are often asked to leave at the end of the school year.
The city is also grappling with staffing issues that slow down the processing of lodging applications, as well as with landlords not accepting permanent housing vouchers, which would free up space in temporary shelters – as they try to build and open new housing options that often have to do with local opposition.
New Administration from NYC Mayor Eric Adams
Other signs of trouble were evident. The Legal Aid Society asked Social Services Commissioner Gary P. Jenkins in an email on July 11 to explain why the vacancy rate for shelters for families with children was less than 1 percent with about 30 units available on July 6. . The optimal objective is to keep the vacancy rate at 3 percent for more flexibility, according to Rechtsbijstand.
Mr Adams said at a news conference Thursday that the city was working hard to accommodate homeless families, adding that it was “not acceptable” for four families to sleep overnight in the shelter. Legal aid suggested as many as 13 families had to sleep in the shelter last week, but city officials dispute that.
“We have housing for families,” the mayor said. “If those families would sleep on the floor for days, as was done before, I could understand the criticism of the Legal Aid.”
However, the mayor insisted that an influx of asylum seekers had compromised the city’s ability to provide adequate shelter, and anecdotal evidence seemed to support his claim somewhat.
Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Manuel Castro said he spoke to many asylum seekers in the Bronx, Staten Island and Midtown.
Legal Aid staff lawyers, who often visit the intake center, also said they saw an increase in the number of asylum seekers, but not at the level Mr Adams claims.
One night last week, as the city processed housing applications from 120 families, Kathryn Kliff, a staff attorney for legal aid, said she spoke with 15 families who had arrived from Texas. The intake centers are also filled by local families and families who have traveled to New York independently, she said.
City officials began noticing a rise in asylum seekers in late May and had discussed this internally when they decided last week to make their appeal for federal aid public, said Fabien Levy, a spokesman for Mr. Adams.
The number of asylum seekers, Mr. Jenkins said, was “definitely an estimate” but based on an examination of trends and conversations with families during their housing assessments.
Catholic charities of the Archdiocese of New York, which works for migrants, have seen an increase in the number of asylum seekers being brought in across the country. Many come to New York City and need basic necessities such as food, clothing, medical care, shelter, and legal aid. “Chaotic,” the group’s executive director, Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, described the current state of affairs.
Alania Hughes, 21, from the Bronx, was among those who spent the night in a shelter with her 1-year-old son last week. When she arrived at 9pm, the line was out the door. Her baby slept in his stroller that night. While there, she spoke to several families who had arrived from Texas.
“I was just trying to stay up,” Mrs. Hughes said. “I just wanted to get in the shower.”
She and her son were placed in temporary housing the next day. As the political sparring between Mr. Adams and the governors of Texas and Arizona continues, Mrs. Hughes does not know when she will be given permanent housing.
“Mayor Adams’s problem is not with Texas,” said Mr. Abbott. “It is with President Biden’s refusal to stop this border crisis and secure our southern border.”
Mr. Adams rejected pushback from Texas and Arizona governors.
“Now the people who turn people away tell you that they did something different and you automatically believe them,” the mayor said. “I wish you would treat me like that.”
“They can say whatever they want,” the mayor said. “They were wrong. They ended up here because they didn’t get the support there.”