Carlos, a Venezuelan asylum seeker living in a hotel shelter on the Upper West Side, was stunned when he found a notice under his door on Wednesday night. The letter, issued by the New York City Department of Homeless Services, warned families with children that they could be evicted from their current shelters within 60 days. For Carlos, who has been in the shelter with his 6-year-old daughter for eight months, this notice came as a shock. He asked that his last name not be disclosed to protect his immigration case.
This new policy is part of Mayor Eric Adams’ administration’s broader effort to limit shelter stays for migrants, aiming to reduce costs. Until now, the city had exempted about 30,000 migrant parents and children in Department of Homeless Services (DHS) shelters from eviction. However, due to recent changes in state policy, these families might soon face eviction notices as well. According to city officials, these notices will start being issued on a rolling basis later in the summer, although no exact timetable has been given.
For families who have no other place to go, the city has said they will be able to reapply for shelter and receive a new placement. However, many families are concerned about the uncertainty of their situation. The policy is designed to nudge migrants out of shelters and address the significant financial strain on the city, which is projected to spend an additional $4 billion to $9 billion on migrant care over the next two years. This move follows the recent eviction of many adult migrants, who have since been sleeping in tents or on benches throughout the city.
Carlos, 27, expressed his anxiety about the future, especially as his daughter has just settled into her school and made friends. Without a work permit and with only sporadic income from a car wash, he is uncertain about where they might go if they are evicted, and what that might mean for his daughter’s schooling. “It’s a government order. We have to follow it,” Carlos said. “But we don’t have anywhere else to stay.”
Advocates for immigrants and the homeless warn that this new policy could lead to more instability for migrant children, who may have to move frequently between schools or, in the worst cases, end up on the streets. Critics argue that the policy creates an unfair system, allowing long-term New York residents to stay in shelters indefinitely while forcing new migrants out. City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and other officials have called for an end to these shelter evictions, with a proposed bill in the City Council that would ban such limits currently pending.
Despite the intense debate, Mayor Adams has defended the policy, citing financial concerns and the poor conditions in emergency shelters as reasons for the stricter rules. “It’s not financially sustainable,” Adams said in a recent press conference. “And it’s just not the right thing to do to human beings.” The city’s migrant shelter population has remained steady at around 65,000, despite fewer new arrivals and stricter shelter limits for single adults.
City officials have said they will start applying the new policy to families who have been in shelters the longest. They also provide “intensive case management” to help families apply for asylum, work permits, and other services. However, a recent audit by Comptroller Brad Lander’s office found that many of these promised services were lacking. Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom has reiterated that the current situation is “not sustainable” and that the city must find new ways to move people out of shelters.
There are some exceptions to the new eviction rules. Families receiving public assistance, pregnant mothers, parents with newborns, and migrants with disabilities may qualify for exemptions or temporary reprieves. However, city officials have not provided specific numbers on how many families might be affected by these exceptions.