New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced two updates to city policy that will save taxpayers millions of dollars and allow the city to more effectively help migrants take their next steps towards self-sufficiency.
First, following their second 60-day notice, families with children in kindergarten through sixth grade can stay in the same shelter they were previously assigned to if they still need more time in the system, making it easier for those children to continue attending their same schools and saving the city hundreds of thousands spent on busing those students to those schools. The city will also establish a centralized mail center in the coming weeks to further ensure that migrants have access to critical legal information — like updates on their asylum, temporary protected status (TPS), or work authorization applications — as well as other correspondence, regardless of their location in the city, including if they leave the system.
“… 700,000 exit planning meetings with asylum seekers …”
Additionally, Mayor Adams today released new data and operational updates on the city’s ongoing response to the over 223,000 migrants and asylum seekers who have arrived in New York City and sought city services since the spring of 2022. NYC Health + Hospitals’ team of case managers have conducted more than 700,000 exit planning meetings with asylum seekers in the city’s Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers, helping them identify needs and set goals to leave the city shelter system, and connecting them to the appropriate legal, medical, and social services. Thanks to those meetings, and the city’s nation-leading Asylum Application Help Center — which has submitted more than 84,000 total applications for work authorization, asylum, and TPS — 70 percent of eligible adults have either completed applications or been approved for work authorization. As a result of the above efforts, since intensive case management services began in October 2023, 42 percent more families with children in humanitarian centers each week have been able to take their next steps out of shelter and towards building a life of self-sufficiency. As a result of these updates, the city has been able to close or schedule the closure of numerous shelters, including the Randall’s Island tented humanitarian relief center.
“Over the past two years, our teams have accomplished the Herculean task of providing compassionate care for a population twice the size of Albany and saving taxpayers billions of dollars,” said Mayor Adams. “We’ve focused on helping people take their next steps out of shelter, and that focus is paying off. Whether it’s connecting 47,000 migrants with friends, families, and networks outside of New York City; the 84,000 applications for TPS, work authorization, and asylum we’ve submitted; or the 700,000 case management meetings we’ve held, we’re doing everything we can to make sure that our shelter system serves its purpose as a soft landing spot for new arrivals — not their final landing spot. And with our census declining for the past 19 weeks in a row, it’s clear that our efforts are working. The new policies we’re implementing today will build on our successes, save taxpayers millions, and help even more migrants take their next steps towards fulfilling their American Dream.”
“In response to the ongoing needs of the migrant population in our care, the city is implementing essential measures to ensure the well-being of children and families while responsibly utilizing public resources. By allowing families with school-age children to remain in their original shelters, we aim to minimize disruptions to their education and significantly decrease transportation-related costs,” said Chief of Staff Camille Joseph Varlack. “ Furthermore, the establishment of a centralized mail center will provide every individual in our care with the necessary tools to navigate their path toward legal stability. These initiatives underscore our commitment to compassionate care along with fiscal responsibility, and we remain dedicated to creating a viable path forward for all individuals in our care.”
“Today’s announcement follows sustained efforts over the last two-plus years by teams of case managers working in collaboration with nearly a quarter million people coming to New York City seeking a better life for themselves and their families,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “We’ve also helped submit 84,000 work authorization, TPS, and asylum applications. All of this work has been done one meeting at a time, one conversation at a time, and one step in the process to work together with our newest New Yorkers as they pursue the ability to work and achieve the American Dream for themselves and their loved ones. Thank you to the remarkable teams at our Asylum Application Help Center, at NYC Health + Hospitals, and all those who have joined in this work. We will continue to do our part as a city and build on the successful systems we’ve created.”
“New York City has led the nation in supporting asylum seekers with unmatched dedication and compassion,” said New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol. “We’ve seen a decline in our shelter population thanks to this administration’s efforts, including providing critical support to help families achieve self-sufficiency. From creating the nation’s first Asylum Application Help Center to assisting thousands with work authorization and employment, this administration’s initiatives are making a real and lasting impact — showcasing the strength and compassion of this city.”
“Every time a family leaves our system to start their lives in a new home, or every time an adult starts their first job after we helped them receive work authorization, we are reminded that the over 700,000 case management meetings we’ve provided asylum seekers have an impact that cannot be measured in numbers alone,” said Ted Long, MD, MHS, senior vice president, Ambulatory Care and Population Health, NYC Health + Hospitals. “Those meetings show, that in New York City, we have forged a strategy that couples compassion with efficacy, helping over 160,000 people, or approximately 74 percent of all new arrivals, take the next step forward in their journeys. They show that we have risen to meet the demands of the crisis since it began, creating and improving systems to manage asylum seekers’ needs such as our Arrival Center and case management program. I want to thank our Case Management Community Advisory Board and community partners who have guided us and offered feedback to enhance our city’s response. And I want to thank our team at NYC Health + Hospitals who have moved heaven and earth to help each new arrival pursue the American Dream.”
“Throughout this humanitarian response, teams across multiple city agencies have been incredibly focused on providing shelter and care for our new arrivals, as well as putting the necessary structures in place to set them up for success as they continue to navigate their paths to better futures,” said Office of Asylum Seeker Operations Director Molly Schaeffer. “Because of this work — which includes completing more than 700,000 individual case management appointments, submitting more than 84,000 legal applications, and standing up over 200 emergency shelters — we have made real and lasting impacts on peoples’ lives. But even as we met these milestones, we’ve continued to assess our work to find better ways to serve the needs of our newest New Yorkers. Implementing policies to ensure that asylum seekers, no matter where they are, have continued access to critical mail services and that families with children have continuity in their education access are just two of the ways we are accomplishing this goal.”
The city’s case management efforts, overseen by NYC Health + Hospitals’ staff at city humanitarian relief centers, began in October 2023. The first steps begin at the city’s Arrival Center, where registration teams review asylum seekers’ information — including their legal documents; the status of their applications for asylum, work authorization, and TPS; employment history; and education — so that case managers can identify new arrivals’ individual barriers and offer informed, effective assistance. In addition, Arrival Center staff recently implemented same-day work authorization filings for recent arrivals, expediting the application process as much as possible.
In April, NYC Health + Hospitals convened a Case Management Community Advisory Board to receive feedback from community leadership with experience working with immigrants, refugees, and individuals experiencing homelessness. The board — which meets every other week and currently includes around 30 community-based organizations and individuals — has informed the city’s understanding of asylum seekers’ needs, helped identify more effective case management strategies to meet those needs, and connected asylum seekers to impactful support, including legal services, as they take their next steps forward. The board has also supported NYC Health + Hospitals Resource Fairs at humanitarian relief centers, where guests are provided with on-site connections to community organizations offering employment, housing, legal, and social assistance.
“… help migrants take their next steps towards self-sufficiency.”
Since the first buses of asylum seekers arrived in the spring of 2022, New York City has continued to focus on building the structures needed to help migrants take their next steps towards self-sufficiency. The city’s Asylum Application Help Center — a first-in-the-nation entity — has helped complete more than 84,000 applications for work authorization, TPS, and asylum. The city has also purchased over 47,000 tickets to help migrants reach their preferred destinations and help reduce long-term costs for New York City taxpayers. As a result, of reticketing, intensive case management, and legal support, more than 164,000 migrants who requested services from the city — or approximately 74 percent — have taken the next steps in their journeys towards self-sufficiency.
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