Tuesday, July 11, 2023

MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES PLACEMENT OF TWO NEW HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND RELIEF CENTERS

 

 New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the placement of two new Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers as the number of asylum seekers currently in the city’s care surpasses 52,000. The Crowne Plaza JFK Airport New York in Queens will today transition from an emergency respite center to a humanitarian relief center to serve more than 330 families with children seeking asylum. In the coming weeks, another emergency respite site already open, located at 47 Hall Street in Brooklyn, will add an area that will serve as a humanitarian relief center to support approximately 1,400 adults in addition to the hundreds served at the respite site that will remain open, depending on operational needs. Both humanitarian relief centers will provide a range of services, in addition to ensuring asylum seekers can reach their desired destination, if not New York City.

 

“New York City continues to receive thousands of asylum seekers each week, and we continue to do everything in our power to respond accordingly, but we are still in dire need of assistance from our state and federal partners,” said Mayor Adams. “The transition of these two emergency respite sites to humanitarian relief centers will provide, when combined, thousands of individuals with a range of services and help them reach their final destinations. New York City is doing more than any other city or state to respond to this crisis, but we need others to step up and do their part as well.”

 

“These two new sites will enable us to serve hundreds of families with children as well as adults as they settle in New York City or move to their final destination,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “As we continue to respond to this humanitarian crisis, we again call on the federal government to advance work authorizations for people seeking asylum and for the federal government to lead this humanitarian crisis with a national coordination strategy.”

 

“Navigating this crisis has required a tremendous amount of resources and creativity,” said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III. “Despite the challenges facing the city, we have continued to do what’s right and open new humanitarian relief centers as needed to ensure asylum seekers’ health and safety.”

 

“NYC Health + Hospitals continues to answer the call to assist asylum seekers in need,” said Ted Long, MD, MHS, senior vice president for ambulatory care and population health, NYC Health + Hospitals. “These centers will offer comprehensive resources to both families and adults as they arrive in New York City. I am proud to be a part of the Adams administration that is changing the lives of so many.”

 

“These two new humanitarian relief centers will provide critical resources for asylum seekers transitioning into their new lives,” said New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol. “As we continue to respond to this humanitarian crisis, we will work diligently to identify locations to provide shelter and access to various services for asylum seekers who arrive to New York City each day.”

 

Since this humanitarian crisis began, the city has taken fast and urgent action — opening approximately 180 emergency shelters, including 12 other 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; launching the Asylum Application Help Center to help migrants with their asylum applications; and more. Earlier this spring, the city 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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