New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ policy limiting migrant families’ stay in city shelters to 60 days appears to be having a significant impact. According to new data, over half of the 12,560 migrant families who received eviction notices under the policy have left the shelter system. However, nearly 6,000 families remain, with about 90% of them relocating to other shelters, and around a third moving to shelters in different boroughs.
The 60-day stay limit, designed to reduce costs and encourage migrants to find permanent housing or take the next steps in their journeys, has drawn criticism from homeless and child advocates. They argue that relocating families, especially long distances across boroughs, can destabilize children’s education and make it harder for parents to maintain jobs, further complicating efforts to exit the shelter system. Currently, around 65,000 migrants are housed in over 200 city shelters.
Jennifer Pringle, director of the Learners in Temporary Housing project at Advocates for Children of New York, emphasized that moving families between shelters is disruptive for children, particularly in terms of schooling. The fear of ongoing instability is pervasive, she added. Despite these concerns, city officials, including City Hall spokesperson Liz Garcia, have defended the policy, noting that shelter staff attempt to keep migrant families in the borough where their children attend school. If relocation is necessary, transportation services are arranged to ensure students can continue their education.
The strain on New York’s shelter system has been immense, with the city spending more than $5 billion to house over 214,000 migrants since the spring of 2022. Although the number of new arrivals has decreased, the shelter system remains overwhelmed, prompting the Adams administration to expand the stay limits. Mayor Adams has touted the policy’s success, highlighting that no families with children have been left to sleep on the streets as a result of the evictions.
Concerns about the impact of the policy on students remain a key issue. Data from July 2023 indicates that students forced to transfer schools due to housing instability often experience a decline in academic performance. However, new data shows that nearly 90% of the 7,000 migrant students affected by the 60-day eviction notices have been able to remain in the same school, with 52% staying in both the same school and shelter. For the 37% who were relocated to new housing, many continued attending the same school, suggesting that efforts to minimize educational disruption have been somewhat successful.
Transportation challenges for relocated students have emerged as another concern. Under federal law, students in homeless shelters who move are entitled to stay in their original school and receive transportation services. In New York City, students in grades K-6 are eligible for school bus services or MetroCards for public transportation. However, families and schools have reported difficulties in obtaining MetroCards and bus services, which has led to some children missing school.
Advocacy groups have called for a more humane approach to managing the shelter system. The Family Homelessness Coalition, a group of shelter operators and advocates, sent a letter to Mayor Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul, expressing “grave concerns” about the 60-day stay limit. They argued that 60 days is insufficient time for families to secure benefits or permanent housing and urged the city to provide more rental assistance resources.
Despite the criticism, the Adams administration remains committed to the policy, which is expected to expand in the coming months. As the debate continues, New York City faces the challenge of balancing the need to manage its overwhelmed shelter system with the responsibility of ensuring the well-being of migrant families and their children.