New York City Comptroller Brad Lander said Tuesday his office is launching an investigation into Mayor Eric Adams’ deployment of a policy limiting shelter stays for migrant families with children to 60 days at a time.
Outside of the Row Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, one of the city’s emergency shelter sites for migrants, Lander said he wants the Adams administration to detail the cost of requiring families to reapply for shelter every 60 days if they have no other housing options available and track where families end up after leaving the city's shelter system.
The comptroller’s remarks came as roughly 40 families were the first to be kicked out of the Row after reaching their 60-day limits Tuesday. Some of the families told Gothamist they were heading to other cities to stay with relatives and find work, while others said they didn't know where to go and would reapply for shelter at the city's main intake center for migrants.
“We may not be able to prevent the cruelty of evicting pregnant women and families in the middle of winter time, but we can at least demand the information of how the implementation of that policy is taking place,” Lander said.
Responding to the announcement, Adams' office said the comptroller's inquiry was "particularly puzzling" because both offices have been in close contact about how the policy would work, including in terms of case management and school placements.
"Most New Yorkers agree that a shelter system should be temporary, especially for children who need consistency and permanency," City Hall spokesperson Kayla Mamelak said in a statement. "That is why we are so focused on helping people move from shelter. A tiny hotel room is no place to grow up or raise a family.”
Lander also said he's seeking information from the mayor’s office on the impact the policy will have on children, many of whom have been enrolled at nearby schools for months, and whether the constant moves will affect families whose federal work permit applications could be hampered by changes in their addresses.
His office sent a letter to Adams laying out the investigation and requesting the first batch of data and information by later this month.
The mayor’s office argues the new limits on migrant shelter stays are needed to create space for new arrivals as the city seeks to accommodate thousands of additional newcomers each week. Last year, the city began implementing a 30-day shelter limit for migrant adults, which has led to long lines outside of the city's "reticketing center" in the East Village, where people have lined up early in the morning to secure a new shelter placement or travel ticket out of NYC.
Lander said his office is focusing on the 60-day shelter limits because children are involved. “This is all very difficult in general and we want to provide the right to shelter,” he said. “But the cruelty of evicting families with kids in the middle of winter time and displacing them from schools in the middle of the school year is a level of cruelty that prompted our action today.”
Under a four-decade-old decree, the city is legally obligated to provide shelter to anyone in need. The so-called right to shelter also sets minimum standards for shelters where individuals and families with children are staying.
The Adams administration is in court seeking to loosen the decree, arguing the city shouldn’t be required to provide housing during an emergency like the migrant crisis.
This story has been updated with comment from Mayor Eric Adams' office.
