In order to understand the budget increases the city has incurred in its care for asylum seekers, the council led a public hearing where it reviewed in detail costs of services and the agencies that provide them under the Mayor’s Administration. Eric Adams.
“The budget is high. The State is a little deteriorated,” says Carlos Fuentes, a passerby.
This Monday’s hearing was led by the Finance, General Welfare, Oversight and Investigations Committee, and they questioned the current and projected costs for sheltering and caring for migrants.
Official figures show that, during the last 18 months, more than 130,000 asylum seekers have arrived. Half is under municipal protection.
In August, the administration released new projections indicating that this increase in individuals and families would cost the city $12 billion by the end of fiscal year 2025.
One of the costs that is under scrutiny is the cost per day, per migrant in the shelter system, since in January, it was estimated at $363 dollars per day and now, instead of being reduced as the administration had suggested, it increased by about 30 dollars.
The council assures that – to date – it is not known how this item has been calculated.
As for fiscal year 2024, initially, $2.9 billion was allocated to cover the costs associated with caring for migrants. Now, the administration says $4.7 billion is needed.
On the street, there are varied opinions about it:
“These are the measurements of the authorities here, in the State of New York, that have to solve the problem,” says Carlos Fuente.
Benjamín Rodríguez, is also a resident and believes that:
“They should see how I eat the first people who were here, who they also need. And then those who arrived later.”
And the New York Immigrant Coalition, together with WIN NYC, conducted a study on permanent housing solutions. They talked about an assistance program for low-income families.
“A City FHEPS voucher only costs $50 to $62 per night depending, for a family, depending on the program,” says NYIC spokesperson Kim Korona.
The city still only spends an average of $383 to maintain these shelter sites. And this is something that the coalition has always spoken against.
The members of the Council reiterate that although the compassion of New Yorkers is infinite, the resources are not and that is why they make detailed budget reviews, in order to offer quality of life to migrants, without the city going bankrupt.
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2023-10-23 23:15:13
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