The first evictions of migrant families with children under City Hall’s 60-day shelter policy began on Jan. 9. Since then, about 1,600 families have been forced to leave their shelters after their time expired, while another 7,200 have been given 60-day notices that will expire in the weeks to come.
“It looks like a coughing choir in that tent,” said Luis Zambrano, 62, who came down with pneumonia this winter while staying at the shelter complex on Randall’s Island, where the city has been housing thousands of newly arrived immigrants. “The cold that passes through and under the cot doesn’t go away with several blankets, so you are always cold sleeping.”
City Limits recently spoke with several families about what it was like to live at the shelter, the first congregate facility in which the city has placed large numbers of immigrant families with children. All complained about the cold inside the tents, the remoteness, and inaccessibility.
Over the last several weeks, shelter residents and volunteers said they’ve seen increased enforcement around cooking and vending at the site, including an operation on Oct. 17 in which the Parks Department and NYPD confiscated canopy tents and other equipment.
“These bills are a common sense way to help new arrivals become self-sufficient and less dependent on costly city services. I hope that my colleagues of all political stripes can come together to support these operational fixes that will improve our city’s response to this challenging moment.”
The city’s education department insists the funding system is flexible, but the comptroller and education advocates worry some schools won’t get what they need if ‘massive numbers’ of new students enroll later in the year.
For the last three months, in instances when no other options are available, the city has provided some families with kids seeking asylum with vouchers for “no-cost hotel stays” for 28 days, after which they need to return to the city’s Arrival Center to seek another placement.
“Seeking asylum has become nearly as difficult as getting here in the first place.”
On Wednesday afternoon, two buses carrying more than 60 people from city shelter left for the Ramada Inn in Albany, where officials say they’re also nearing capacity. Those who opted to leave include asylum seekers who’d spent weeks in one of the city’s respite centers, where services are limited and future placements are uncertain.
The mayor defended the move, saying the city had little choice as it struggles to keep up with a ballooning shelter population. But advocates say the change undermines the city’s social safety net and protections to ensure homeless families with children have access to safe conditions.
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