Mayor Adams Announces Emergency Procurement Declaration to Rapidly Procure Shelter, Services for Asylum Seekers

August 1, 2022

Emergency Procurement Declaration Will Allow City to Rapidly Contract With Shelter and Service Providers 

City in Discussions With Federal Government to Seek Reimbursements for Emergency Costs 

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced an emergency procurement declaration to rapidly procure shelter and other services for people seeking asylum in New York City. 

“New York is a city of immigrants, and we will always welcome newcomers with open arms. Over the past two months, we have seen a significant increase in the number of asylum seekers arriving in our city’s shelter system,” said Mayor Adams. “To fulfill our city’s legal and moral mandate to provide quality shelter to anyone experiencing homelessness, and to ensure we are providing appropriate services to asylum seekers, we are immediately issuing an emergency procurement declaration to rapidly procure additional shelter and services to serve these individuals and families. We are working across city agencies and with not-for-profit partners to ensure these individuals have access to a range of services, including legal support, health care, and education. We can no longer wait — and this declaration will allow the city to procure sorely needed additional resources as quickly as possible. We are deeply committed to providing shelter and support to everyone who needs it, and we cannot do this work alone. We will continue to work with federal and state partners to procure additional financial resources immediately.”  

“New York’s commitment to providing shelter is an essential part of what makes our city a welcoming safe haven," said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander. "We will work closely with the administration to appropriately expedite contracts and ensure New York City can deliver the shelter and services that families seeking asylum here urgently need.” 
  
Approximately 4,000 asylum seekers have entered the New York City shelter system since late May — the primary driver of the approximately 10 percent increase in the New York City Department of Homeless Services’ census. Additionally, on average, the city’s shelter system is currently receiving over 100 additional asylum seekers looking for some form of housing per day. To protect individuals from federal detainment or deportation, and because the city provides shelter to all who need it — regardless of immigration status — the city does not track individuals’ immigration status on intake forms. Accordingly, this is a conservative estimate based on comprehensive interviews of people entering the city shelter system. An influx of approximately 4,000 individuals requires a significant number of new shelter sites to ensure appropriate capacity. 

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