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Dear New Yorkers,

In January, the Adams Administration enacted a cruel policy of evicting asylum-seeking families from shelter every 60 days with the empty promise of intensive case management. That same day, my office launched an investigation into the City’s implementation of this “60-Day Rule.”

Our findings, released today, are troubling. As a result of the 60-Day Rule, City Hall has subjected over 35,000 people to repetitive screenings for shelter alternatives, disrupted families’ efforts to obtain work authorization and legal status, and uprooted children from the schools where they made connections,

In total, the City has issued 60-Day notices to 9,873 families with children—affecting 19,192 adults and 17,926 children—as of April 14. Here are the topline findings from our investigation: 

• The City implemented the 60-Day Rule in a haphazard manner without adequate policies—such as exemptions for third trimester pregnancies and newborns
• 60-Day notices failed to provide families with critical information about opportunities to seek exemption or reasonable accommodation
• Despite promises of “intensive case management” for every family, the City provides limited case management services that do little to help families achieve self-sufficiency
• The 60-Day Rule undermined new arrivals’ ability to obtain work authorization and stable employment
• Administrators specifically denied families with elementary school-aged children placement in Department of Homeless Services (DHS) shelters upon re-intake, subjecting them to more frequent moves that are detrimental to children’s learning

Beyond the cruelty of the policy, our investigation also found significant management flaws in how City Hall is administering these evictions. We found that the City isn’t tracking anything – including families’ housing placements and efforts to obtain work authorization.

Right now, City Hall is failing to manage this humanitarian emergency with competence and compassion. Coupled with increasingly xenophobic rhetoric, Mayor Adams has handed no-bid, multimillion-dollar contracts to vendors ill-equipped to deliver proper services. The strategy behind the 60-Day Rule is to make life so difficult that asylum seekers abandon hope — and New York City — altogether.

New York can do so much better. The right to shelter is a cornerstone of New York City’s social safety net that guarantees a roof over the head of every New Yorker. Instead of kicking vulnerable immigrant families onto the street, we must refocus our efforts and dramatically ramp up legal services and case management to help people get work authorization, jobs, and land on their feet. This strategy is far more compassionate – and far more cost effective than providing shelter. 

For more details into our investigation of the Adams Administration’s implementation of the 60-Day Rule, read our report. 

With hope for a more compassionate city,

Brad

  60 day rule, Brad Lander, investigation, New York, update