Over half of the 12,560 migrant families facing eviction under Mayor Eric Adams’ 60-day shelter stay limit have left the shelter system, according to the Gothamist.
The policy, introduced to reduce pressure on the city's strained shelter system, has sparked both praise and criticism.
City Hall spokesperson Liz Garcia emphasized the efforts to keep migrant families in the same borough as their youngest child’s school to avoid educational disruption. When that’s not possible, school staff assist with transportation arrangements, the news agency reported on Thursday.
Garcia did not provide data on how many families managed to stay in their child’s school borough.
The number of migrants in shelters has hovered around 65,000, which officials describe as unsustainable. New York City has spent more than $5 billion on housing and services for over 214,000 migrants since 2022. Despite a decline in new arrivals, the city continues to grapple with the shelter crisis, Gothamist said.
Adams defended the 60-day limit, claiming it has successfully prompted families to exit shelters. He also stressed that no families with children have been forced to sleep on the streets. Migrant families with nowhere to go can reapply for shelter, and about 90% of those remaining in shelters were relocated to other locations.
Critics, however, argue that moving families across boroughs disrupts children's schooling and makes it harder for parents to maintain jobs.
“Moving families around is horribly destabilizing for kids’ education,” Jennifer Pringle, director at Advocates for Children of New York, told the Gothamist.
As the policy expands in the coming months, advocates continue to call for more stable housing options, warning that frequent relocations will cause lasting harm to families and children’s education.
