Mayor Eric Adams announced Friday that he is cutting in half the length of time adult asylum seekers will be allowed to stay at shelters.
All asylum seekers who are applying for shelter at an arrival center for the first time will receive 30-day notices along with “intensified” casework services, he said.
The city had initially allowed 60-day shelter stays.
“For over a year, New York City has stepped up while waiting for the substantial help necessary from federal and state partners to comprehensively address this crisis and support the tens of thousands of asylum seekers in our care, and today’s announcement is another step in our efforts to help asylum seekers take the next step in their journeys,” Adams said in a statement.
The announcement comes as 60,000 migrants are in the city’s care, with the mayor saying he is “forced to continue making difficult decisions.” The city has taken in more than 116,000 asylum seekers since last spring.
Asylum seekers who receive the 30-day notice will have a point of reference with case workers during their 30 days to discuss next steps, the mayor’s statement said.
The city had distributed 13,000 60-day notices to adult asylum seekers over the past two months.
The Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless issued a joint statement condemning the mayor’s announcement.
"Pushing new arrivals who have nowhere else to turn out of the shelters risks dramatically increasing the number of people bedding down on the streets, something nobody wants to see happen," the statement said. "New York has long been a city that has welcomed immigrants with open arms and woven them into our societal fabric."
With each day, this administration, through policies such as these, erodes this long standing virtue that has defined and strengthened our city since its founding," it added.