Anyone who entered the United States after March 15, 2022 is considered a “New Arrival.” New Arrivals will enter a different shelter system than those who have been in the United States longer.

If you are a New Arrival and need shelter for the first time, you should go to the Arrival Center located at the Roosevelt Hotel, 45 E 45th Street, New York, NY, 10017, next to Grand Cental 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 provide you with services such as health insurance enrollment, medical assistance, school enrollment, and mental health services. At the Arrival Center, you will complete an intake. If you do not wish to receive assistance leaving New York City, then you may be offered a bed in a variety of shelter types.

Speak to a staff member at the Arrival Center or your shelter. If you have somewhere else you want to go, the staff can assist you with paying for and booking tickets to get there. The Arrival Center can help you go to another State or even another country.

HERRC
HERRC stands for Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center. These shelters serve both individuals and families. There are at least seventeen HERRCs across New York City. Most HERRCs for single adults and adult families are congregate (meaning you will share a sleeping space with others). Families with minor children stay in private rooms or cubicles. s. For all guests, meals are provided onsite (there are no private or communal cooking facilities). Services include laundry, healthcare, relocation services, and case management.

Respite Centers
Respite Centers are congregate shelters only intended for short-term stays. Residents may sleep in a room with a large number of other people. Currently, families with minor children do not get assigned to Respite Centers; these centers serve single adults and adult families (defined as two or more adults in a family relationship with no minor children). Respite Centers are in a variety of locations, including formerly vacant office buildings, churches, schools, or other buildings not meant for long-term residential use. Respite Centers offer guests a cot and a blanket, meals, and access to a bathroom (showers may be off-site). Overall, Respite Centers offer fewer services.

DHS Shelter
New York City Department of Homeless Services (“DHS”) is the largest shelter system. New Arrivals can only access DHS shelter services via a referral from the Arrival Center at the Roosevelt Hotel. You may receive a DHS placement if the Arrival Center cannot find an appropriate placement for you at a HERRC or Respite Center. DHS has separate shelter systems for single adult men, single adult women, adult families, and families with minor children. The single adult DHS shelters are usually congregate facilities. Families with children ad pregnant people get a private room.

Faith-Based Shelter Program
Some houses of worship (also known as “faith-based spaces”) will include less than 20 beds for adults at each location. People placed at these sites will only be able to access the sites at night and will need to find a place to go during the day.

New York City has rented some hotels upstate to shelter New Arrivals. Currently, outside of New York City, families with minor children and adult families receive a private room and bathroom. Single people share a room with one other person. New York City will provide meals and transportation back to the City for medical and immigration-related appointments.

Any person seeking shelter with a disability has the right to request a reasonable accommodation or “RA.” An RA is a change to a system so that a person with a disability can get the services they need. If you need an RA for your shelter placement, tell staff at your shelter site or at the Arrival Center. Or, if you are at a DHS shelter, you can fill out the DHS RA Request Form. Some shelter sites, especially Respite Centers, are not appropriate for people with certain disabilities so it is important to make your request for an RA as soon as you apply for shelter. 

If your disability is “apparent,” meaning that people can see what you need, you do not need to provide documentation to get an RA (for example, if you use a wheelchair). If your disability is not apparent, then you may need to speak to a medical provider or other professional who understands your disability and request certain documents. A doctor, nurse, therapist, or other clinician who knows about your disability can provide the documents. The medical provider should write a letter that states: 1) what your disability or diagnosis is; 2) the accommodation you are requesting; AND 3) why your disability requires the specific requested accommodation in shelter. You should submit your request and supporting documents to shelter or Arrival Center staff, and they should notify you of their decision shortly thereafter. They may ask to speak to the provider who wrote the letter you submitted if they have questions about your needs. Learn more about the RA process in DHS shelter here. 

It is illegal for a shelter in New York City to refuse to admit an individual because of their LGBTQ+ status. You have the right to be sheltered in a shelter that matches your gender identity. If you do not feel safe in your shelter because of your LGBTQ+ status, talk to staff at the shelter and explain what you need to feel safe.

At the HERRC on Randall’s Island, the City has divided one of the tents into a separate area for Transgender and Gender Nonconforming (“TGNC”) guests. This area is specifically for anyone who identifies as transgender, non-binary, or gender queer. Currently, the TGNC space has 28 beds separated from the other beds in the tent by a partition. The TGNC space has additional security, but TGNC guests still share other common areas, including a cafeteria with the general population of guests at Randall’s Island.

Clients in DHS single adult shelter may be able to access beds specifically designated for LGBTQ+ clients. Marsha’s House is a DHS shelter in the Bronx that exclusively houses LGBTQ+ adults. It is open to clients ages 18 to 30 and has 81 beds. Cisgender lesbian, gay, and bisexual guests will be placed at a men or women’s shelter if they cannot be placed at Marsha’s House. Some DHS shelters have single rooms available for TGNC guests.

It is illegal for shelter staff to treat someone differently because of their faith or religious beliefs. Under some circumstances, the City may already offer accommodation for religious individuals. The Arrival Center and most HERRCs, for example, serve halal meals. DHS, HPD, and NYCEM shelters provide halal meals upon request. HERCCs have designated areas for prayer. However, New York City does not typically honor requests for specific shelter placements based on religious grounds.

If you are in a DHS shelter, you have a right to file a complaint through the DHS complaint process. You also have the right to not be retaliated against for filing complaints. You can file a complaint through the Ombudsman’s Office (ombudsman@dss.nyc.gov or 800-994-6494) or contact DHS’s Central Complaint Unit at 718-291-4141.

If you are in a HERRC, Respite Center, hotel or faith-based shelter, ask staff at the shelter how to submit a complaint. Some of the HERRCs have a complaint form.

The City has been issuing 30-day notices and 60-day notices to New Arrivals in certain kinds of shelters. All single adult and adult family New Arrivals will receive a 30 or 60-day notice (for more information about that process and how to extend your shelter stay, see: [link to new FAQ]). Families with children living in HERRCs receive 60-day notices (for more information about that process and how to extend your shelter stay, click here.

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

If you are a New Arrival and need assistance after being found ineligible for shelter, your shelter 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.