August 14, 2023 Coalition for the Homeless, The Legal Aid Society, and Growing Coalition Call on Governor to Step Up (NEW YORK, NY) – Today, the Coalition for the Homeless, The Legal Aid Society and a coalition of more than 100 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 asylum seekers and other new arrivals coming to New York. The letter calls on Governor Hochul to create a state plan that: (1) immediately identifies and secures new locations to alleviate the shelter capacity crisis so that families and individuals are not relegated to sleeping on the streets; and (2) helps reduce the skyrocketing shelter census to house homeless New Yorkers and create more capacity in the existing system. “New York City has been shouldering too much of the burden, and it is well past time for Governor Hochul to step up and take a leadership role in meeting this moment as a true test of our commitment to our values as a community,” said Coalition for the Homeless Executive Director Dave Giffen. “New York needs much more from Governor Hochul, who has been far too content to take a back seat while resources go unused, counties fight among themselves, and people suffer.” “Governor Hochul has so far failed to galvanize the full weight of State government to ensure the humane treatment of new arrivals to New York City and the City’s compliance with all Right to Shelter court orders and local laws,” said Adriene Holder, Chief Attorney of the Civil Practice at The Legal Aid Society. “This moment demands urgency from the Hochul Administration, and we call on the Governor for increased resources in the form of funding, facilities, staffing, coordination and more, as legally obligated under New York State’s Constitution.” The letter urges Governor Hochul to utilize the authority and resources of her office to immediately take four specific and concrete actions that will help ensure sufficient capacity for all new arrivals and New Yorkers in need of shelter. Those steps are: Invoke New York Executive Law 29-a or other applicable provisions of law to invalidate executive orders in counties that have refused to accept new arrivals; alternatively, have the State intervene in pending cases to overturn the obstructive executive orders. Gov. Hochul previously characterized these executive orders as “bigoted policies based on fear and intimidation” inconsistent with New York’s core values – as memorialized in Article XVII of the New York State Constitution, which explicitly states that “the aid, care and support of the needy” are public concerns. We applaud the Governor’s statement and beseech her to take the necessary corresponding actions to bring direction and order to this chaotic and unacceptable situation. Doing so would immediately open up a significant number of hotel rooms for new arrivals, keeping them safe and off the streets. Reach out to mayors and county executives throughout the state to encourage them to receive new arrivals. As Governor of a state in a time of crisis – one that unfortunately follows closely on the heels of the COVID-19 crisis that also challenged us as a state – Governor Hochul is uniquely positioned to set the tone for counties and localities throughout New York. Again, we look to her to use her leadership, and the authority and resources of her office, to rally support to address this statewide humanitarian crisis. Identify more State-owned facilities that can serve as temporary housing for new arrivals. As noted above, we appreciate that the State has provided a few sites, such as Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, the JFK seasonal mail sorting building, the Lincoln Correctional Facility in NYC, and now Randall’s Island, to serve as emergency housing facilities for new arrivals. However, it is imperative that the full inventory of State-owned facilities throughout New York, including armories, be quickly and thoroughly assessed so that appropriate facilities can be identified and made rapidly available to address the critical and immediate need for additional temporary housing. Help coordinate the relocation of the new arrivals to the facilities and localities described above. Again, this is a situation that impacts all New Yorkers and all of us as compassionate human beings who believe that no one should be relegated to sleeping on the streets. A humanitarian crisis of this magnitude clearly requires a level of leadership and coordination that can only come from the Governor’s office. We urge Governor Hochul to appoint someone with the authority and resources to quickly and effectively coordinate, in cooperation with New York City officials and relevant stakeholders statewide, the placement of new arrivals in appropriate temporary housing facilities throughout the state. The full letter can be read here. Signatories include: Coalition for the HomelessThe Legal Aid SocietyHomeless Services UnitedMake the Road New YorkCoalition for Homeless YouthCommunity Service Society of New YorkMount Vernon United TenantsCitizens Committee for ChildrenHousing Rights InitiativeHousing Works, Inc.Urban PathwaysCatholic Charities – Archdiocese of New York HomebaseMet Council on HousingRiverside Edgecombe Neighborhood AssociationWinHousing Justice for AllDa Homeless HeroStrong Economy For All CoalitionSupportive Housing Network of NYFor the ManyCooper Square CommitteeNYCNOWC Red de Cooperativas de Nueva YorkCabrini Immigrant Services of NYCCASA in ActionThe Corporation for Supportive HousingCaribbean Equality ProjectWorkplace ProjectColumbia County Sanctuary MovementCare For the HomelessAlliance for Quality EducationNeighborhood Coalition for ShelterJews for Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ)Refugee and Immigrant Support Services of Emmaus, Inc.Pratt Center for Community DevelopmentNew York State Council of ChurchesTenants & NeighborsProject HospitalityCabrini Mission FoundationSyracuse Tenants UnionNeighbors TogetherEnvision Freedom Fund(HRX) The Community Harm Reduction ProjectTransnational Villages Network – Red de Pueblos TransnacionalesNew York Communities for ChangeRelease Aging People in PrisonFifth Avenue CommitteeCatholic Charities Brooklyn and QueensNeighbors Helping NeighborsCatholic Charities Neighborhood Services, Inc.Center for Popular Democracy ActionSanctuary for FamiliesChinese-American Planning CouncilThe Health & Housing ConsortiumWorking Families Party – Nassau CountyLong Island ActivistsHealth x Housing Lab at NYU Langone HealthThe Children’s VillageWest Hill Refugee Welcome CenterHunger Free AmericaInterfaith Assembly on Homelessness and HousingCitizen Action of New YorkUnited Neighborhood HousesNew York City Employment and Training CoalitionSaratoga Immigration CoalitionBronxWorks, Inc.The Institute for Family HealthThe Partnership to End HomelessnessQueens Community HousePublic Health SolutionsSamaritan Daytop Village, IncParents Supporting Parents NYArab-American Family Support CenterCallen-Lorde Community Health CenterSisters of Mercy Justice TeamCommunity Voices HeardAssociation for Neighborhood and Housing Development (ANHD)Women’s Housing and Economic Development CorporationSCO Family of ServicesNAKASECThe Gathering for JusticeBrandworkersDay Care Council of New YorkWorkers United NY NJ Regional Joint BoardOpen New YorkVolunteers of America – Greater New YorkNew York Working Families PartyEquality New YorkMinKwon Center for Community ActionCovenant House New YorkJewish Family Services of Western New YorkAmerican Civic AssociationNew York Civil Liberties Union, NYCLU/ACLU of New YorkAcacia NetworkJackson Heights Immigration Solidarity Network (JHISN)New York City Youth Action BoardHope’s DoorCapital Area Council of ChurchesSaving Justice NewsletterSisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet AlbanyHenry Street SettlementNICE – New Immigrant Community EmpowermentEvergreen HealthCenter for Community AlternativesUnited Federation of TeachersUnited Madrassi Association Inc.Rising Ground, Inc.Hudson/Catskill Housing CoalitionRoads to SuccessUniversity SettlementOpen Hearts Initiative
