A group of progressive Council members proposed a bill Thursday that would block Mayor Eric Adams from rolling back the city’s universal right-to-shelter policy amid the ongoing migrant crisis.
Adams in recent months has imposed 30-and-60-day limits on stays at city-run shelters, with his administration issuing eviction notices requiring asylum seekers to reapply for shelter or seek alternative housing.
He has bluntly warned the city has run out of space and no longer has the capacity or resources to shelter tens of thousands of migrants crossing the southern border and coming to New York.
But Brooklyn Councilwoman Shana Hanif said the mayor’s push to relax the universal right to shelter policy, now being debated in court, is cruel and inhumane.
“For centuries, New York City has opened its arms to refugees and immigrants fleeing violence and looking for a better life. But under this Mayor, our City is abandoning that sacred past and kicking asylum seekers to the curb,” said Hanif, the chair of the immigration committee who drafted the bill.
“It is shameful that this Council needs legislation to ensure that people who came to our City looking for refuge aren’t put out onto the streets. Our City faces a pivotal moment in responding to this recent wave of new arrivals, but we must face this historic moment with compassion and care,” she said.
Others backing the bill include Council Members Lincoln Restler, Jennifer Gutiérrez, Carmen De La Rosa, Crystal Hudson, Pierina Ana Sanchez, Sandy Nurse, and Julie Won.
Supporters also include homeless service providers including WIN and Coalition For The Homeless, as well as legal advocacy organizations, like Legal Aid Society and Urban Justice Center.
The bill would outlaw limits on stays in the city’s homeless shelters and the Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers for migrants.
“No agency shall impose limits on the length of time an individual or family may reside in shelter or emergency congregate housing,” the bill reads.
“To reside in shelter operated by the department or a provider under contract or similar agreement with the department, an individual or family must maintain eligibility for temporary housing assistance.”
But Adams has the backing of Gov. Kathy Hochul and former President Bill Clinton, who agree that the right to shelter policy was designed to aid the city’s homeless population, not thousands of asylum seekers coming arriving from across the globe.
“The original premise behind the right to shelter was, for starters, for homeless men on the streets….[then] extended to families,” Hochul said last month.
“But never was it envisioned being an unlimited universal right, or obligation on the city, to house literally the entire world.”
It’s unclear whether the Council has the votes to pass the bill, let alone override a mayoral veto, given intense opposition to migrant shelters in large swathes of the five boroughs.