Mayor Adams expected to limit shelter stays as migrant crisis continues

Mayor Eric Adams is looking to impose a limit on how long people can stay in any single shelter, according to three people familiar with the discussions. The new policy would come as the city struggles to deal with a homeless population that has roughly doubled over the last year, driven by the migrant crisis.

While conversations appear to still be fluid, the plan under discussion would impose a 60-day limit on individual shelter stays, said three people who are familiar with the mayor’s plan but are not authorized to speak publicly about the private discussions. Following that period, those still in need of housing would be asked to report to an intake center, suggesting they could be reassigned to another shelter.

The three people who spoke to Gothamist said the details of the mayor’s proposal are still in flux. Many questions remain, including whether the new policy would apply only to migrants, certain types of shelter and whether it would affect both single adults and families.

Adams’ proposal, which is expected to be announced on Wednesday, comes as the mayor is asking a judge to relieve the city of its right-to-shelter rules as tens of thousands of migrants who have come to New York City in the last year. The decades-old decree sets minimum shelter standards and requires city officials to provide beds for anyone who requests them.

Going to an intake center is normally the first step in the process of applying for shelter. The application process involves an interview to determine eligibility. In May, the city established Midtown's Roosevelt Hotel as the official intake center for migrants.

City officials have scrambled to respond to the crisis since its start. They have set up sprawling tent structures to temporarily house people, rented hotels and used office and school buildings. So far, more than 53,000 migrants have arrived since last spring, pushing the city’s shelter population to 103,000 people.

More than two-thirds of the migrants seeking help have been families with children.

News of the mayor’s planned announcement raised concern among homeless advocates, who have urged the city to redouble its efforts to move those in the shelter system to permanent housing.

“The city and the state have a legal obligation to keep people safe from the elements,” said Joshua Goldfein, a staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society. “They should address their capacity issues by ensuring that all New Yorkers have access to affordable permanent housing. And of course the federal government could solve this with the stroke of a pen.”

Adams is currently locked in a battle with the City Council over legislation to expand the number of people eligible for rental subsidies. Supporters say the new laws would help those currently in shelter afford to move into permanent housing. Adams has argued the program would be too costly to fund.

The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The city is using nearly 200 shelter locations, including hotels, emergency relief centers and so-called “respite” sites intended for short-term stays.

Adams has repeatedly said the city is strained beyond capacity and has implored federal and state officials for more financial assistance, as well as expediting work authorizations for migrants.

The city has spent over $1 billion so far on the crisis, and budget officials say those costs are expected to climb over $4 billion in the next two years.

On the same day of the mayor’s anticipated announcement on limited shelter stays, city officials are expected to go before a judge for the first time to discuss their request to amend a 1981 court order that established the right to shelter.

They will be joined by Legal Aid, which represents the Coalition for the Homeless and has vigorously fought efforts by several administrations to weaken the city’s right-to-shelter rules.

“Any weakening of these rights will result in thousands more people sleeping on our streets and in the transit system – a potential reality that no New Yorker wants,” both groups said in a statement on Tuesday.