New York City launch A city official confirmed to Fox News Digital on Friday that it is a pilot program that will give migrants $4,000 toward permanent housing to help them move out of city shelters.
NYC’s Department of Homeless Services (DHS) offered cash assistance to 150 families through Asylum Moveout Assistance (AMA), a pilot designed to help refugees find permanent housing, in December last year. The pilot was launched in partnership with some city shelters that provide services for refugees.
“The City is using every tool at its disposal to implement innovative and cost-effective solutions to help refugees recently placed in shelters take the next step in their journey,” a Department of Social Services (DSS) spokesperson said. Fox News Digital.
In December, DHS officials began distributing $4,000 to 150 families living in the city’s emergency DHS shelters.
“Since December, DSS has been working with some of the nonprofit providers that operate emergency sites to pilot a new effort to reduce barriers to obtaining housing by assisting asylum-seeking families who have identified permanent housing with the upfront costs of moving to their new home,” a DSS spokesperson said.
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The DSS statement further said, “Over the past seven months, 150 families have benefited from this pilot, and we look forward to providing assistance to more families as we assess the success of the pilot and the feasibility of expanding and scaling up access to this form of assistance.”
Eligibility for the $4,000 grants is limited to asylum-seeking families and pregnant women who are staying in select DHS emergency shelters and who have already identified permanent housing.
A DSS spokesperson told Fox News Digital that no funds have been allocated by the city for the program. The DSS spokesperson further said that DHS is using money from existing funds within the agency.
A DSS spokesperson said, “This is a very small pilot project available only to asylum-seeking families in select emergency shelters operated by DHS. This is not a citywide effort and is not available to migrant families already in the shelter system.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 02: A woman filmed migrants reaching out for food outside the Roosevelt Hotel, where dozens of recently arrived migrants are camped out trying to secure temporary housing in New York City on August 02, 2023. (Photo: Alexey Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
The $4,000 will be used to cover the security deposit, move-in expenses, first and last month’s rent, and any household needs. Migrant families receiving grants are required to document their expenses.
Migrants who return to the city’s shelters are not eligible for a second payment.
Additionally, families can receive up to $1,000 in gift cards for household needs and relocation expenses.
This program is similar to the city program. Advanced One-Shot Deal Programwhich was established by the Human Resources Administration and DHS.
The previously existing EOSD provided “one-time payments” to homeless working families to help them transition out of the shelter system and live independently.
“The Refugee Relocation Assistance Pilot Program is modeled after similar programs that provide one-time emergency assistance of up to $4,000 to cover relocation costs, which can include security deposits and relocation expenses,” a DSS spokesperson said.
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Mayor Eric Adams is pictured with his Deputy Mayors Sheena Wright (left) and Ingrid Lewis-Martin during their weekly in-person press conference in City Hall’s Blue Room. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
This effort comes at a time when NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ Efforts are being made to provide relief to shelters filled with migrants.
At Adams Restrictions imposed in March on its “right to shelter” policy. The policy, which mandated that a bed be made available to any individual, would be reduced to 30 days.
NYC Estates According to a New York Post report, over $5 billion has been spent on the migrant crisis in the past two years and it is estimated that this expenditure will double by 2025. Such expenditure of taxpayers’ money includes the cost of shelter, food, healthcare, and education.
Police patrol outside a migrant shelter in Brooklyn, New York City, on July 21, 2023. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
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Adams has said he expects the cost of the migrant crisis to reach $10 billion over the three-year period ending June 30, 2025.
In February, the mayor testified at an annual hearing in the Empire State capital, in which he asked $4.6 billion for NYC programs By 2025.
He said the city’s shelter population has tripled since he took office.
