Up to 1,250 asylum-seeking families that choose to leave the packed shelters in New York City will be provided with temporary housing through the utilization of $25 million in state money, according to New York.
In the state budget passed in May, Gov. Kathy Hochul and state legislators approved funds for voluntary relocations. Tens of thousands of asylum seekers who have been bussed to New York City from the southern border over the past year received shelter and services as part of a $1 billion budget.
17 Families To Relocate Into State-Rented Housing
According to information released on Saturday by Gov. Hochul's administration, 17 families have so far offered to relocate into state-rented housing. The initiative would assist families with school enrollment, health care needs, and other necessities to settle into their new towns, state officials told the USA Today Network on Monday. They added that it will pay rent for up to a year. If 1,250 families do really volunteer, the total financing works out to $20,000 per household.
In order to be eligible for the state relocation program, which is distinct from the transfers of migrants under the care of New York City, families must have submitted applications for work permits and asylum to the federal government. According to federal law, anyone seeking asylum must wait six months before becoming eligible for work permits.
City Has Assisted 275 Families In Submitting Their Asylum Applications
A spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement on Monday that New York City has so far assisted 275 families in submitting their asylum applications and then sent them to state officials for the state program.
The city had been "left to tackle a national humanitarian crisis largely on its own" since the spring of last year, according to the statement, and was appreciative of the new state effort. In that period, nearly 100,000 refugees have been transported by bus to New York, necessitating the opening of 200 emergency shelters.
Comments / 63