February 24, 2025 (NEW YORK, NY) – The Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless issued the following statement in response to an announcement today by New York City Mayor Eric Adams on the forthcoming closure of both the Asylum Seeker Arrival Center and Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center located at The Roosevelt Hotel: “We are very concerned that the City will not be able to meet its moral and legal obligations to provide safe and appropriate shelter for all in need, especially at a time when increasing numbers of New Yorkers are experiencing homelessness. The City must provide enough shelter beds so that people have a safe space to be protected from the elements and receive services. “It has always been the case that the people we serve are safer when not sleeping in large mega-shelters, and instead are placed in smaller, more appropriate facilities that help them on their way to housing and stability. But the City must ensure that no one is left outside because of a lack of adequate shelter bed capacity.”
