September 19, 2023 City’s Plan Would Also Limit Stays for Families With Children to 60 Days (NEW YORK, NY) – The Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless issued the following joint statement in response to reporting on the City’s proposal to further limit the amount of time single adults can reside in shelter from 60 days to 30 days, and also limit stays for families with children to 60 days: “This proposal is pointless, cruel, and another bureaucratic hurdle for new arrivals to navigate while trying to rebuild their lives in New York City. “Such policies will inevitably lead to more confusion and more people sleeping on rough streets and in our subway system, parks and other public areas – a scenario that no New Yorker wants, especially with winter approaching. For families adjusting to new schools and new routines, these punitive rule changes will only add to their burden.” “Instead of creating more arbitrary deadlines that ignore reality and the actual needs of new New Yorkers, the City should implement the slate of proposals that we have advocated for since last year that would bolster shelter capacity while ensuring our clients’ well-being, in accordance with multiple court orders and local laws. “Lastly, we call on Washington for increased funding to the City and to immediately grant work authorization for the tens of thousands of new arrivals who are desperate to work, and on Governor Hochul to step up and galvanize the full weight of State government to help New York meet this moment.” Background:Last month, Legal Aid, the Coalition for the Homeless and more than 100 other organizations from around New York State representing advocates, services providers, and faith groups issued a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul urging her to develop a comprehensive statewide decompression and resettlement plan for the new arrivals and to immediately prioritize deploying state resources to ensure sufficient temporary housing capacity for new arrivals and other unhoused New Yorkers. In July, Legal Aid and the Coalition for the Homeless also called on the City to advance a variety of reforms to increase shelter capacity.
