


Dozens of houses of worship scattered across New York City will start sheltering migrants next month as the Big Apple continues to battle the overwhelming influx of asylum seekers flooding in, Mayor Eric Adams said Monday.
Religious leaders have offered up 50 faith-based locations to help house asylum seekers overnight across the five boroughs as part of a new two-year partnership with the New York Disaster Interfaith Services.
Each of those locations will cater for roughly 19 adult men.
“As we continue to tackle this humanitarian crisis, I’m proud that through this new partnership with New York Disaster Interfaith Services, New York City’s faith community will be able to provide shelter to asylum seekers in need at houses of worship throughout the five boroughs,” Adams said.
“Not only will this increase the space we have by nearly 1,000 beds, but it will also connect asylum seekers with local communities.”
As part of the program, the city will also open five daytime centers to provide migrant support during the day to allow the faith-based spaces to continue to offer their normal services to New Yorkers.
The city is currently bursting at the seams to house 45,900 asylum seekers in 157 emergency sites set up across the five boroughs.
Roughly 2,200 migrants arrived at city shelters in the last week alone.
The latest faith-based shelter plan comes months after the mayor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships begged the city’s religious leaders for help clothing the thousands of asylum seekers staying in the Big Apple’s migrant shelters.
“Our city has witnessed an unprecedented influx of asylum seekers coming to New York City since last spring,” said Pastor Gil Monrose, executive director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships.
“I am really grateful that faith leaders are opening their doors to asylum seekers — providing their space as well as the hands of the community to care for them. New York is truly a city of faith.”