New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday announced an emergency procurement declaration to swiftly acquire additional shelter and services for individuals and families seeking asylum in New York City.
According to a press release from the mayor's office, approximately 4,000 asylum seekers have entered the New York City shelter system since late May. In addition, New York City's shelter system is receiving over 100 additional asylum seekers looking for some form of housing every day, on average.
Mayor Adams says that the significant increase in asylum seekers entering the shelter system over the previous two months is what led to the City's decision to take immediate action in ensuring that all of these individuals will have access to quality shelter and services.
“To fulfill our city’s legal and moral mandate to provide quality shelter to anyone experiencing homelessness, and to ensure we are providing appropriate services to asylum seekers, we are immediately issuing an emergency procurement declaration to rapidly procure additional shelter and services to serve these individuals and families," Adams said. "We are working across city agencies and with not-for-profit partners to ensure these individuals have access to a range of services, including legal support, health care, and education."
"We can no longer wait — and this declaration will allow the city to procure sorely needed additional resources as quickly as possible. We are deeply committed to providing shelter and support to everyone who needs it, and we cannot do this work alone. We will continue to work with federal and state partners to procure additional financial resources immediately,” Adams added.
