Mayor Adams Announces Placement of two new Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers

June 12, 2023

Two New Humanitarian Relief Centers to Open, as Thousands of Asylum Seekers Continue to Arrive in New York City Each Week

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the city will soon open two additional Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers as New York City continues to see thousands of asylum seekers arrive weekly. The two humanitarian relief centers — located at 205 and 207 West 85th Street (together as one) and 117 West 70th Street in Manhattan — will serve adult families and single women. As the estimated number of asylum seekers that have arrived in the city since last spring surpasses at least 74,000, these sites will serve more than 800 individuals in 516 rooms.  

“New York City is facing a humanitarian crisis unlike any other before,” said Mayor Adams. “With more than 47,000 asylum seekers still in the city’s care and thousands continuing to arrive each week, we need a national decompression strategy to handle this national issue. New York City has stepped up, opening nearly 170 emergency sites to provide temporary shelter but without federal aid and a strategy to move migrants around the nation we are unable to continue treating arriving asylum seekers with the dignity and compassion that they deserve.”

“These additional humanitarian response and relief centers will help us continue to meet our obligations to provide shelter to people seeking asylum,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “This crisis will continue for some time, and it will continue to take a citywide response.”

“Despite the immense magnitude of this crisis, New York City has not only managed to keep the ship afloat for the past year but continues to find solutions to address the urgent needs of this vulnerable population,” said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III. “The opening of these centers represents another milestone in our comprehensive approach to ensuring the safety, dignity, and well-being of asylum seekers.”

“New York City continues to step up, with the support of partners from every sector, and respond to this humanitarian crisis with the compassion and resources needed for those arriving here to complete their journey, establishing a model for how to give asylum seekers a chance at a better life,” said Ted Long, MD, MHS, senior vice president, Ambulatory Care and Population Health, NYC Health + Hospitals. “These two humanitarian centers for adult families and single women build upon the success of our existing relief centers, which connect guests to meals, medical care, mental health support, language access, technology, and reconnection services. I am proud to be a part of the Adams administration as we help to make a better life possible for those who turned to us for help.”

“Over the past year, more than 74,000 asylum seekers have arrived in New York City, with more than half remaining in the city’s care. The opening of the two additional Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers in Manhattan will help alleviate some pressure on a system reaching its brink,” said New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol. “We continue to work with our city partners to identify additional locations to provide shelter for the hundreds of asylum seekers that continue to arrive in New York City each day.”

Since this humanitarian crisis began, the city has taken fast and urgent action, opening a total of nearly 170 emergency shelters, including nine additional large-scale humanitarian relief centers already; standing up navigation centers to connect asylum seekers with critical resources; enrolling thousands of children in public schools through Project Open Arms; and more. The city also, this spring, released “The Road Forward: A Blueprint to Address New York City's Response to the Asylum Seeker Crisis,” detailing how the city will continue to manage the influx of asylum seekers and advocate for support from federal and state partners.

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