If you are a New Arrival and need shelter, you should go to the Arrival Center located at the Roosevelt Hotel, 45 E 45th Street, New York, NY, 10017, next to Grand Central Station. The Arrival Center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and can help you find shelter in New York City or in another place of your choosing.

The Arrival Center can also help with health insurance enrollment, medical assistance, school enrollment, and mental health services. At the Arrival Center, you will complete an intake interview. If you do not wish to leave New York City, then you may be offered a bed in New York City in a variety of shelter types.

The staff at the Arrival Center will ask you about any contacts you have in the United States, including family members, friends, or people listed on your immigration documents. They will ask you if you can stay with those people. If you say you cannot stay with friends, family, or other contacts, the staff will ask why you can’t do that. They may call your contacts to ask if you can stay with them. They will also ask you if you can pay for your own housing. You must answer the staff’s questions honestly and cooperate with the interview about your personal circumstances. If you do not, you may be denied a shelter placement and found ineligible.

The City must give you a written notice (in your preferred language) if they find you ineligible for shelter. The City can find you ineligible for shelter if you have another place you can live outside of shelter, if you can pay for your own permanent housing, or if you do not cooperate with the City’s application process. If you are found ineligible, it means that the City will not provide you with a shelter placement.

If you disagree with the decision finding you ineligible for shelter, the notice will tell you how you can request that your case be reviewed by a supervisor. You can ask the City to reconsider your case if the housing option outside of shelter the City identified for you: 1) is not safe; 2) does not accommodate your (or your family member’s) disability; or 3) the person who lives at that address (the tenant or owner) will not actually let you sleep in that location. The City may ask you to give them evidence about why the housing option is not available or appropriate.

The City must offer you transportation to get to any housing option they have identified as a place you can go instead of shelter.

No, the City does not allow you to choose your shelter. However, if the shelter placement the City offers you is not safe for you or you can’t stay there because of a disability, they must find you another one. If you do not accept the shelter placement the City offers you (and the City says you will be safe there and that it will accommodate your disabilities), you will not be offered a different placement. If you reject the placement, you will have to find your own place to stay outside of the City’s shelter system. However, if the placement does not accommodate your disabilities, the City must offer you another placement that does accommodate your disabilities. 

For more information on disability accommodations in shelter and accommodations for clients who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, or queer (“LGBTQ+”), click here.

The first time you are placed in a shelter by the City, you have a right to remain in that shelter for 30 days. If you are a young adult (under age 23), you will get at least a 60-day shelter placement. If you are in an adult family and all the members of your family are under age 23, you will get at least a 60-day placement.

Yes. As soon as you arrive at your assigned shelter, the staff will give you a 30-day notice (or 60-day notice if you are under the age of 23). This notice states that your current shelter placement will end in 30 or 60 days unless you request and qualify for an extension. All single adult and adult family New Arrivals will receive a 30-day (or 60-day) notice if they reside in a Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center (“HERRC”), respite center, or Department of Homeless Services (“DHS”) shelter. For a description of the different kinds of shelter placements, click here.

At least one week before the end of your 30-day or 60-day placement, you will receive a written document that explains how to request an extension or how to get a ticket to leave New York City, if you wish to do so.

During your 30-day or 60-day stay, you should immediately make efforts to try to find other housing. Connect with your case manager (if you have one) for help finding housing and other resources that can help you move out of shelter. The shelter staff must offer you a Resource Guide (in your preferred language) that explains different resources available to help you move out of shelter. You can also ask shelter staff for a list of non-profit organizations that assist New Arrivals and other New Yorkers to find housing.

You may be eligible for an extension if you have “extenuating circumstances.” Some of these circumstances include:

• You have found a place to live, and you will be able to move there within 30 days
• You will be leaving New York City within 30 days
• You have a hearing or other immigration proceeding within the next 30 days
• You are recovering from a serious medical procedure
• You have a serious medical procedure or appointment for a serious medical condition within the next 30 days
• You have taken and continue to make significant efforts to move out of shelter, but you still do not have anywhere else to go

If you cannot show that you took steps and are continuing to take steps to find other housing or move out of shelter, you may not be allowed to stay in the shelter beyond your first 30 or 60 days.

If you receive the “Notice to Make Alternate Arrangements” and need to apply for an extension you should go to the St Brigid Reticketing Center (185 E 7th Street, New York, NY 10009). The Reticketing Center is open daily from 8am until 7pm. You should receive the “Notice to Make Alternate Arrangements” from the City at least one week before the end of your shelter stay. Regardless, we highly recommend going to the Reticketing Center a week before the end of your 30 or 60 days to request an extension.

When you arrive at the Reticketing Center, tell the staff you want to “request an extension.” They may ask you for proof that you have an “extenuating circumstance,.” which you should provide if you have it. The staff at St. Bridget’s will then decide whether you qualify for an extension. If you qualify, the staff should issue you a new notice telling you how long you can remain in the shelter. If you do not qualify, you will receive a notice in your preferred language that will include the reason your request was denied. It will also include an email address where you can send an email to a supervisor who can review the decision. If you do not have an email account or the ability to send an email, the staff at the Reticketing Center will help you set up an account. (If you receive a denial notice, see the section “What if my extension request is denied?” below for more information.)

There is no limit on the number of extensions you can request, but you will need to prove you have “extenuating circumstances” each time you request a new extension.

If you do not request an extension before the end of your 30 (or 60) days, or if your request for an extension is denied, you will need to leave your shelter and then go to the St Brigid Reticketing Center (185 E 7th Street, New York, NY 10009) to request another placement. At that time, you may also request a ticket to another place in the United States or abroad.

If you request an extension of your shelter stay, you will need to show shelter staff that you have taken significant steps to try to move out of shelter. Below are some examples of steps you can take to find other housing and move out of shelter:

Effort / Proof

• Attend all meetings with your case worker at the shelter
  Write down the dates and times of these meetings.
• Try to get an appointment with an immigration legal services provider
  Note down all the times and dates of all the calls you made, whom you spoke to, and what you were told. If you have an appointment coming up, note the time and date.
• Apply for asylum, Temporary Protected Status, or any other immigration relief for which you are eligible.
  Note down all the times and dates of all the calls you made, who you spoke to, and what you were told. If you have an appointment coming up, note the time and date. If you have already applied for immigration relief, keep copies of the documents showing you applied.
• Search for Employment
  Keep a record of all the places you applied for any kind of work and all the efforts you made to connect to jobs (including speaking with friends who work). Keep a record of all the places where you applied to work.
• Resettlement Program
  If the City offers you the chance to apply to a program to “resettle” in another part of the State or US, apply for the program. Keep proof of the application.
• Contact friends about staying with them
  Keep a record of any calls, texts, emails, and in person conversations you had with friends, family, and other contacts about finding a place to stay.
• Get ID or a Driver’s License
  Keep notes on all efforts you made to get photo ID and/or a drivers license, including confirmation of any appointments to obtain them.
• Get an Individual Tax ID (“ITIN”)
  Keep notes on efforts you made, including copies of documents filed or confirmation of appointments made to apply for an ITIN. An ITIN is needed to work and file taxes in the United States.
• Learn English
  Keep a record of any classes you took or are taking if you need help learning English. Learning English may help you get a job or locate housing.
• Apply for Public Assistance
  Keep record of any efforts you made to apply for Public Assistance if you are eligible.
• Job Training
  Enroll in a job training course or a course to receive employment certification (like OSHA). Keep record of the dates and times of the courses you attend.
• Follow all shelter rules
  If you do not follow the shelter rules, you may not get more time in shelter.

You only need to take the steps that are relevant to you and that are possible for you to do. If you cannot take certain steps, you should explain to your shelter case worker why you cannot take such steps.

Tip: To help you remember your efforts, take a photo of documents you receive and any place you go as you try to move out of shelter (job interview, apartment tour, ID office, etc). Keep the pictures in a folder on your phone so you have everything in one place.

If you or a member of your family have a disability or medical condition that would make it difficult to reapply for shelter or change shelters, you may receive an extension. These kinds of extensions are called “reasonable accommodations.” If the disability is obvious or apparent (such as using a wheelchair), you should not need to get proof of the disability. If the disability is not obvious or apparent, you should get a letter from a medical provider (or other professional with expertise about your disability) that explains why you need an extension of your time in your current shelter or an exception to any rules. The person writing the letter does not need to be a doctor, but could be a therapist, social worker, or other professional who understands your disability. If the reasonable accommodation is granted, you will receive an extension of your 30(or 60)-day shelter placement.

Note: having a disability is not enough for an extension; the letter from your doctor or other professional must explain the relationship (or connection) between your disability and your need for a reasonable accommodation or extension of your stay.

If your request is denied, you will receive a written notice (in your preferred language) that includes an email address you can email to have a supervisor review your case. If you believe the decision is wrong and ask for a review, the supervisor must review it quickly and let you know if the decision has changed upon review. If you do not have an email account or cannot send an email, the staff at the Reticketing Center must help you set up an email account.

If you do not request an extension before your 30-day or 60-day notice expires, you will need to leave your shelter. While you can leave your belongings behind at your current shelter for up to 10 days, we do not recommend doing so. Some New Arrivals have reported lost or stolen belongings.

If you have no other place to go or your request for an extension was denied, you can go to a drop-in center. A drop-in center is a place where you can stay indoors at night, but it will not have beds – only chairs. The drop-in center will have bathrooms and meals. They will also provide you with access to showers either onsite or at another City location. Ask staff at the Reticketing Center for directions to a drop-in center. If there is a weather emergency, you can stay indoors at a City shelter or drop-in center.

This resource has been translated and can be downloaded in Fulani, Twi, and Wolof.

If you need assistance after being found ineligible for shelter, your extension request was denied, or if you need accommodations as a result of a disability, you can call The Legal Aid Society’s Homeless Rights Project at 212-298-3160.

You can also reach the Crisis Intervention Program at the Coalition for the Homeless by calling 1-888-358-2384 on business days from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.  Coalition for the Homeless staff can assist you by phone or may be able to offer in-person meetings by appointment only.  Appointments must be made by calling the hotline in advance.

The information in this document has been prepared by The Legal Aid Society for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. This information is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. You should not act upon any information without retaining professional legal counsel.