NEW YORK — With new waves of asylum seekers arriving weekly, New York City started evicting migrants from the shelter system on Wednesday in an attempt to ease the strain the crisis had placed on city finances.
The evictions are part of a new policy the city crafted with the Legal Aid Society and homeless advocates that allows migrants to claim a shelter bed for only 30 or 60 days.
The city won the ability to set new rules for how long migrants can stay in shelters after months of court hearings and negotiations with advocates.
Single adults and adult families without children can stay for 30 days. Young adults, ages 18 to 23, can stay for 60 days.
People can stay longer if they can prove so-called “extenuating circumstances,” including:
- If they have a signed apartment lease
- Have plans to leave the city within 30 days
- Are 18-20 and enrolled in high school
- Have a serious medical procedures within 30 days, like a pregnancy
Legal Aid Society says it will be monitoring the process
The Legal Aid Society’s Josh Goldfein said his attorneys will be carefully monitoring whether the evictions are handled properly.
“There’s a great risk that if the staff at the ticketing center understand that their job is to potentially turn people away, that there are people who don’t have anywhere else to go, and they will not have their time extended,” Goldfein said.
Officials say about 260 people got eviction notices that will be coming due sometime this week. In the first wave, about 29 applied for extensions and about half were granted.
Goldfein said if the city violates the agreement, the Legal Aid Society will go back to court.
Officials are also worried that the program will mean an increase in homelessness.
Asylum seeker Diana Cardenas said she worries about it, too.
“I have my four children,” she said.” I cant go to a park, to sleep.”
Migrants speak out
Adriana Granda was outside the ROW NYC hotel with her three children. Her youngest, who was in a baby carriage, is the reason she won’t be kicked of the shelter. The boy was born this month and although she got an eviction notice, she was given a five-month extension because of her pregnancy. She said she’s afraid of what will happen when that extension expires.
“It worries me not knowing where I will go with my kids, especially because I have three small children,” Granda said.
Cardenas has to leave her hotel next month. She said one option is moving to California.
“But you know the rent there is expensive. They do offer the flights, but once you get there, now what?” she said.
