New York, NY—Yesterday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that the City will open two new Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers (HERRC), which will house asylum seekers who had been previously staying at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal HERRC. The two locations, one in Midtown Manhattan and one in Bushwick, Brooklyn, will be congregate settings with a capacity for 1,200 single adult men.
Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition:
“Housing is essential to creating the stability that all New York families need to thrive. Our shelter system remains overcrowded – opening temporary shelters may help to meet short-term emergency needs, but does little to help families get back on their feet over the long run. Rather than an extended game of whack-a-mole for where asylum seekers can rest their heads at night, the City needs to get serious about developing long term solutions to our affordability crisis. By eliminating the 90-day waiting period and expanding eligibility to individuals and families regardless of immigration status for the City FHEPS and other voucher programs, the City can start to tackle its long-standing shelter demands. When that happens, all New York families will have a real fighting chance to get on the road to recovery and security.”