Refuge for Immigrants: 30 or 60 Days in a Shelter?
Since the implementation of stricter rehousing regulations for immigrants in May, the city has evaluated over 2,600 cases at the Remittance Center for Immigrants and Asylum Seekers, with more than 850 approvals and over 1,780 denials.
Emilio was eating an apple outside the Remittance Center for Immigrants and Asylum Seekers in the city, located in the former St. Brigid’s School in the East Village. Emilio, who requested not to use his full name, was waiting near Tompkins Square Park for his friend, who like him, came from Ecuador. The two were visiting the Center to request more time in the shelter system. Emilio arrived in the city in April and was staying in a shelter in Midtown.
“I was given 60 days,” Emilio, 39, said, pointing out that he had recently applied for asylum with the federal government. He was assigned two more months at the adult shelter on Randall’s Island. A couple of hours later, his friend, Marcelo Canchingre, emerged from the former St. Brigid’s school with a slip of paper with the address of a shelter in Long Island City. Canchingre arrived in the city in November, works at a restaurant in Manhattan, and had been sleeping in a shelter in Flatbush until his time ran out.
“I got 30 days,” Canchingre, 37, said about the duration of his stay in the shelter. Unlike Emilio, he had not applied for asylum yet. New rules on how immigrants and asylum seekers can obtain an extension have been in effect for several months, which considers efforts to leave the shelter system on a case-by-case basis. The city is now granting longer extensions, up to 60 days, to those falling under a category known as Permanent Residents Under Color of Law (PRUCOL), who may qualify for state benefits.
The legal agreement that established the current rehousing rules for single adult immigrants specifies that those who meet the city’s criteria for additional time after an initial stay should be offered at least another 30 days if the applicant is over 23 years old, and at least 60 days for those who are younger.
When asked when this change began, the city stated that the longer extensions for immigrants with PRUCOL status began after reaching an agreement with the Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless in March. However, according to Josh Goldfein, a lawyer from the Legal Aid Society who negotiated the shelter rights agreement, this change was implemented recently.
He mentioned that the idea of granting more time to those who have applied for asylum was proposed to the city by advocates in the last month or so. The additional time will provide stability to asylum seekers while waiting to obtain a work permit, as they can only apply 150 days after submitting their asylum application.
“They [the city] told us that was their plan,” Goldfein said, “But this is the first time I’ve heard that they went ahead and actually implemented it.” The mayor’s office stated they did not have figures to share when asked how many people had received 60-day extensions due to their PRUCOL status.
On the morning of August 13th, City Limits spoke with nine immigrants outside the Remittance Center after they requested an extension. The eight who had applied for asylum received two months. The one who had not applied for asylum received a 30-day extension.
According to the city, since the implementation of stricter rehousing regulations in May, over 2,600 cases have been evaluated at the Remittance Center for Immigrants and Asylum Seekers, with more than 850 approvals and over 1,780 denials.
The city did not specify how they weigh the applications, but Goldfein mentioned that the 20-point system they began using this spring, where individuals can earn points for each effort shown to leave the shelter, remains unchanged. “When a person requests an extension,” explained Dave Giffen, executive director of the Coalition for the Homeless, “they first check if they have PRUCOL status, and if not, they can request an extension for mitigating circumstances.”
When it came time to speak with a case manager inside the Remittance Center, the migrants leaving that day stated that they were asked a few questions at most, while most said they were not asked any questions. “We went in. We waited,” said Colombian Fernando Alemán, 23, who entered with a friend and received another 60 days at a different shelter. “They didn’t ask us anything. They gave us the letter and the new address.”
Several, like Emilio, went out to eat the pre-packaged meals – with an apple, a boiled egg, and a bun – they had received inside.
Over 14,000 single adult immigrants were still in the city’s shelter system as of late June, the most recent month for which data is available. The tightening of rules for reapplying for shelter in recent months has led to more immigrants sleeping and camping outdoors, as reported by the media, and municipal authorities recently cleared one of these camps on Randall’s Island.
In June, another 51,000 immigrant families with children were in shelters outside the Department of Homeless Services (DHS), who must reapply every 60 days for a bed. However, last week, municipal authorities confirmed they would start sending out two-month stay notices to immigrant families with children in DHS shelters.
By the end of June, some 8,835 immigrant families with children, totaling over 30,000 individuals, were housed in DHS shelters. Homeless and immigrant advocates have criticized the policy change, stating that forcing minors to change shelters every two months disrupts their routines and access to education, especially as the new school year is about to begin.
More shelters will open in religious centers
As per the plan, 50 places of worship were selected to accommodate more than a dozen adults overnight, but after more than a year, only nine currently provide shelter to migrants.
Unlike other shelters opened by the city, religious centers can accommodate far fewer people and only operate overnight. “They open at 7 p.m. and you leave at 7 a.m.,” said a Haitian immigrant in French, who preferred not to be identified by name, adding that he had been assigned to one of those sites.
Migrants and asylum seekers have the option to visit two “daytime hospitality centers,” which open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and offer food, showers, and clothing distribution.
According to Peter Gudaitis, executive director and CEO of New York Disaster Interfaith Services, two more shelters are supposed to open this month, with over 20 more awaiting to open.
For months, the program has been stalled by the approval process from the Fire Department, which includes compliance with bed count regulations and the Department of Buildings (DOB) requirement of obtaining a temporary use permit.
“All delays continue to be related to FDNY and DOB code compliance for obtaining a temporary use permit,” Gudaitis said.
To contact the reporter of this news, email Daniel@citylimits.org. To reach the editor, email Jeanmarie@citylimits.org.