NYC Gazette

June 27, 2023

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the city will open a 12th Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center as thousands of asylum seekers continue to arrive weekly in New York City. Soon, 1760 Third Avenue in Manhattan will open as a humanitarian relief center to serve more than 500 families with children seeking asylum, providing a range of services, in addition to ensuring they can reach their desired destination, if not New York City.

“With over 50,000 asylum seekers currently in our care and a total of over 81,200 asking us for care since last spring, New York City continues to do more than any other city or level of government to address this national crisis,” said Mayor Adams. “We continue to meet the needs of people arriving in New York, but as the number of asylum seekers continues to grow, we are in serious need of support from the federal government. This 12th Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center will provide over 500 households with a place to stay, access support, and get to their final destination.”

“This new Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center — which will serve hundreds of families with children — demonstrates the city’s commitment to meeting our obligations and doing so with care, compassion, and dignity for every person,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “However, our city cannot continue to shoulder a disproportionate responsibility for what we know is a national issue. The federal government needs to provide additional assistance and a coordinated decompression strategy to relieve the pressure being felt by many major cities across the country, particularly New York City.”

“We have families arriving here with nothing who are in desperate need of temporary support,” said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III. “We will continue to ensure to the best of our ability that they are safe and have access to critical services as they begin to rebuild new lives here for themselves and their children.”

“We continue to respond to the national humanitarian crisis with New York City knowhow — providing the tools for asylum seekers to complete their journey and establishing a model for how to effectively support the country’s newest arrivals,” said Ted Long, MD, MHS, senior vice president, Ambulatory Care and Population Health, NYC Health + Hospitals. “Our latest humanitarian relief center builds upon the success of our other humanitarian relief centers for families with children, which have helped provide over 12,000 vaccinations to kids. I am proud to be a part of the Adams administration’s efforts as we work to make a better life possible for families who turned to us for help.”

“Since the beginning of this humanitarian crisis, New York City has answered the call by providing asylum seekers with critical resources they need to rebuild their lives,” said New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol. “This additional Humanitarian Response and Relief Center opening in Manhattan will provide migrants with shelter and access to various services as we continue our work to identify and build out locations to shelter and assist those looking for a better life.”

Since this humanitarian crisis began, the city has taken fast and urgent action — opening approximately 175 emergency shelters, including 11 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.

Original source can be found here.