Providing asylum seekers with permanent housing could save New York City billions, a new report suggests.
The findings were released on Wednesday by WIN, an organization that provides shelter to homeless women and children, along with the New York Immigration Coalition, an advocacy coalition that represents hundreds of immigrant rights groups.
The report cited numbers from City Hall that suggest the Big Apple is spending $383 per night on a family of migrants, which is projected to lead to a staggering $12 billion over the course of three years. The study claims that the cost could be mitigated from $383 to just $50 to $72 a night, saving some $3 billion each year, if the newly arrived migrants were granted housing vouchers.
“New York City is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, with enough homeless New Yorkers to fill every seat in Yankee Stadium — twice. Our safety net is being stretched beyond its limits as we struggle to support tens of thousands of asylum seekers who are fleeing violence and searching for a better future for their families, and the first step must be helping them permanently leave shelter,” Christine C. Quinn, President & CEO of WIN said. “We know housing vouchers are one of the most effective tools we have to support people as they move into permanent homes.”
The study was released at a time when as an estimated 110,000 people are reportedly living in homeless shelters, 58,000 of whom are immigrants. On Wednesday Public Advocate Jumaane Williams told amNewYork Metro that some 13,000 rent stabilized apartments remain empty, although he noted the number could be significantly higher. Despite the vacancies, he said that thousands of New Yorkers have been languishing in shelters for years, and the issue pre-dated the influx of immigrants.
“If you provided housing for the people who have been in the shelter system for years, you will now free up the system to have some other folks. So the fact that we failed on housing for such a long time is a big part of the conversation that is not being talked about,” Williams said.
The battle over expanding housing vouchers and empty apartments has been ongoing on. In July, the New York City Council overrode a veto made by Mayor Eric Adams to increase rental assistance vouchers.
The legislation broadened the eligibility requirements for CityFHEPS. It ended the rule that required applicants to reside in a shelter for at least 90 days; removed the employment and source of income component; covers anyone who is on the verge of eviction; and change the Area Median Income (AMI) requirements.
These bills were vetoed by Adams in June; however, on July 13 the New York City Council pushed these bills through.
The Adams administration is planning to challenge the legislation on the basis that the New York City Council doesn’t have the jurisdiction when it comes to the administration of rental assistance programs.
Vacant apartments have also been the subject of several protests in the unhoused community, including a standoff that lasted several hours in the East Village in April of 2022 when a group of homeless individuals refused to take down their tents over the Adams administration’s homeless sweeps.
Additional reporting by Ethan Stark-Miller
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