STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The majority of the 56 migrants the city has sent to Staten Island are being housed in a homeless shelter in St. George, representatives for the local non-profit organization Project Hospitality said Wednesday.
The organization’s president and chief executive officer, the Rev. Dr. Terry roia, and its executive director, Jaclyn Stoll, said they’ve been assisting all 56 of the asylum seekers the city has sent to Staten Island, and that the majority are being housed at the organization’s family shelter on Central Avenue.
“They’ve been really lovely families,” Troia said. “They’re very motivated. They’re grateful to be here. Even the families in our shelter, some of the men got out and found jobs right away.”
Staten Island’s share of asylum seekers accounts for less than 1% of the 10,400 asylum seekers across the five boroughs for which the city is providing shelter services, a Department of Social Services-Department of Homeless Services spokesman said Tuesday.
Stoll said the official number also doesn’t account for the amount of migrants that Project Hospitality has been in contact with who come to Staten Island on their own seeking out family who might already be here and any assistance they can find.
Despite the small share of asylum seekers the city has sent to the Island, Stoll and Troia said its been a marked increase in the local shelter population, but that they’ve tried to make the best of the situation.
In addition to seeking out work, children have enrolled at local schools, people have sought English language education, and one family even secured refugee status from Canada, the pair said.
“They’re typical, three to four people per family,” Stoll said. “There’s definitely a very high increase in [the asylum seeker] population.”
Mayor Eric Adams has described the influx of asylum seekers as a “crisis” that has put a strain on the city’s shelter system, and officials date the situation back to May.
To deal with the influx, Adams’ office announced last week that the city would open two “Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers” to help house the people coming to the city as required by the city’s right to shelter.
A 1979 lawsuit and subsequent legal action established New York City as one of three U.S. municipalities that has a “right to shelter” for all homeless people, according to the Coalition for the Homeless.
The first relief center opened near Orchard Beach in the Bronx and another will be opened at a location yet to be determined, Adams’ office said last week.
Asylum seekers bused into the city from southern states, like Texas and Florida, will be diverted to the relief centers, Adams said last week.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbot have taken credit for sending buses and planes of migrants to northern states saying sanctuary states and cities should have to deal with the burdens faced by border communities.
The city’s sanctuary policies, which limit cooperation with the federal government as it pertains to illegal immigrants, have been in place since Mayor Ed Koch. Adams said last week that the city will continue to fulfill its humanitarian obligations and help the people who arrive in the five boroughs.
On Friday, Borough President Vito Fossella, City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli (R-South Shore), City Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks (D-North Shore), and City Councilman David Carr (R-Mid-Island) sent a letter to Independent Budget Office Acting Director George Sweeting trying to find out the crisis’ financial impact on the city. They’ve been in contact with the office, but have yet to receive financial numbers.
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander announced Wednesday that his office would authorize the construction of the emergency relief centers, but with three commitments from the Adams administration.
- Families with children will not sleep or be held overnight in congregate settings as any part of the program.
- Regular transportation will be provided at no cost to enable people to get from Orchard Beach to mass transit.
- All people seeking shelter in New York City, including asylum seekers, retain their right to shelter, and can enter the city’s shelter system without going to the relief centers.
“The comptroller’s office is responsible for signing off on whether emergency procurement is warranted, not whether we agree that this plan is the best approach. We have serious concerns about the siting of support centers in Orchard Beach, a location far from mass transit, outside the legal obligations of the right to shelter, and especially without a plan to do onsite intake of people into the shelter system,” Lander said Wednesday.
“I urge the administration to bring the staff and resources needed to inform asylum seekers of their rights and conduct intake into the shelter system onsite so that people will not need to travel from Orchard Beach to various sites across the city to obtain shelter,” Lander continued. “The individuals and families arriving here have endured long and difficult journeys; the goal must be to provide support and services, not to create new obstacles and barriers.”
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