The Legal Aid Society and Coalition for the Homeless are condemning comments by Mayor Eric Adams in which he responded to rising numbers at the City’s homeless shelters by noting that asylum seekers are arriving in the City from other states.

“The growing shelter census crisis squarely falls at the Mayor’s feet, and asylum seekers shouldn’t shoulder the blame for this,” reads a statement from Legal Aid. “So long as City Hall allows bureaucratic obstacles to remain in place, hampering our clients’ ability to transition from shelters to long-term and safe affordable housing – which remains in scant supply – this crisis won’t abate
anytime soon, and we call for more funding to develop housing truly affordable for our homeless neighbors.”

“We condemn the Administration’s continued militarized encampment sweeps which inflict trauma, create conflict, and separate our clients from what few belongings they own,” the statement continues. “This inhumane policy defines the Adams Administration, and it tarnishes New York’s reputation as an ostensibly progressive city with empathy for our fellow human beings.”