Officials propose migrant crisis solutions amid protests on housing asylum seekers inside NYC school gyms

Elected officials say this is a homelessness and affordability crisis. About 80,000 New Yorkers are living in shelters, and nearly 40,000 people are trying to seek asylum.

News 12 Staff

May 17, 2023, 4:47 PM

Updated 588 days ago

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Elected officials are proposing new solutions to help address the migrant crisis days after the city announced plans to move asylum seekers onto school grounds.
Elected officials say this is a homelessness and affordability crisis. About 80,000 New Yorkers are living in shelters, and nearly 40,000 people are trying to seek asylum.
City officials are calling on the mayor to issue a new executive order declaring homelessness a public emergency.
Next, they're calling on the City Council to pass legislation allowing the mayor to address the homeless crisis. This would include the leasing of private apartments to those who have been in shelters the longest. This would in turn make space for asylum seekers in city shelters.
Finally, they're calling on the governor to provide state personnel and allow the city to use state facilities. This comes as parents around the city expressed outrage outside of public schools where asylum seekers will be housed inside gyms.
Elected officials here are also calling on the federal government to step in and help. They say this is a national problem that deserves a national solution.