Due to the recent influx in asylum seekers in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams announced that another Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center will be opening in the near future.
The new center will open at the Holiday Inn Manhattan – Financial District hotel and is the sixth center to open in the city. The announcement comes days after Mayor Adams spent the night at a center in Brooklyn to dispel rumors about the conditions of the center.
“With more than 44,000 asylum seekers arriving in the last 10 months alone, we have helped provide shelter and support to nearly as many asylum seekers as the number of New Yorkers we already had in our shelter system when we first came into office,” said Mayor Adams. “We continue to meet all our moral obligations, serving those arriving with dignity and care, but we remain in serious need of additional support from our federal partners, including a real decompression strategy to slow this influx. This sixth Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center will provide hundreds of asylum seekers with a place to stay, access support, and get to their final destination.”
According to the mayor’s office, the number of asylum seekers that have arrived in the Big Apple has surpassed over 44,000 people since last spring. This new center will provide 492 rooms for adult families and single women and will provide them with various services and resources. The center will also help asylum seekers reach their desired destination if that is not New York City.
“We will continue to do what is required to address this ongoing humanitarian crisis,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “Our teams will continue to work to serve every child, family, and individual coming to New York City to seek asylum.”
New York City has taken fast action since the humanitarian crisis began, including managing the arrival of a rapidly increasing number of buses with virtually no coordination from the states sending them, opening 83 hotels as emergency shelters and five other humanitarian relief centers, connecting asylum seekers with critical resources, and more.
“Despite almost single-handedly bearing the cost of this crisis for almost a year now, New York City is continuing to find ways to help these vulnerable families and make sure their needs are met,” said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III. “We remain committed to ensuring asylum seekers’ safety, dignity, and well-being, but we need help. Our federal partners need to act now before we reach a breaking point.”
“New York City has consistently risen to the challenge of this unprecedented humanitarian crisis, and we will continue to do our part to support those seeking asylum in our country,” said Ted Long, MD, MHS, senior vice president, ambulatory care and population health, NYC Health + Hospitals. “We know the trauma and arduous journey asylum seekers have experienced, and this sixth humanitarian center will provide tailored services to help them restore their dignity and get back on their feet. I am proud to be a part of the Adams administration as we help asylum seekers complete their journeys and find a better life.”
“I’m proud our city continues to meet the challenge of supporting asylum seekers during this unprecedented humanitarian crisis,” said New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol. “The opening of the latest Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center delivers on the promise to aid and provide various resources for over 44,000 individuals and families who have arrived in the city seeking a better life.”
