The City shelter limit policy has already caused chaos. To make matters worse, starting Wednesday, May 22, adult immigrants may be evicted from city shelters after reaching a limit of 30 or 60 days, leaving them with even fewer options to achieve “self-sufficiency,” which the City claims is the goal. NYLAG’s Deborah Berkman discussed with Gothamist the ongoing negative impact of this policy on immigrants.
“Nonetheless, immigrant and housing advocates say they worry about migrants being unfairly pushed out of the shelter system. Some point to the dearth of “intensive case management” services the city promised to help migrants exit the shelter system. A recent comptroller’s office report cited the lack of such services for migrant families.
“’It’s hard for me to understand how lots of people aren’t going to end up on the street,’ said Deborah Berkman, an attorney at the New York Legal Assistance Group. ‘It seems like a lot of the standards are very difficult to comply with.’
“In particular, she voiced concern about migrants working without formal authorization, which could jeopardize their chances of getting asylum, in order to keep their shelter spots.”
Read the full piece by Arya Sundaram in Gothamist from May 20, 2024.