NYC churches, synagogues, mosques, and other places of worship will soon accommodate almost 1,000 migrant males as part of a new strategy Mayor Eric Adams unveiled on Monday to deal with the continued arrival of tens of thousands of asylum seekers in the five boroughs.
Up to 50 places of worship with showers, eating rooms, storage for cots, and other amenities required for overnight stays are intended to be included in the two-year arrangement with New York Disaster Interfaith Services, a network of faith-based volunteers. Up to 19 single males may be housed in each place of worship, for a total of 950 more beds for the newcomers.
The statement on Monday was hardly surprising, since houses of religion have been pleading for monhts with the city to assist in housing migrants. “It’s an amazing return on investment,” Adams said Monday morning. “Because that’s the best way for individuals to really incorporate themselves in the daily lives of New York City.”
Since last spring, the city has recorded more than 72,000 migrants traveling through its admission procedure. One estimate has the number of such people in the city’s care at about 46,000 at the moment. According to the mayor, however, the Big Apple has only gotten less than $40 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency so far, which would only be enough to cover five days of the year-long crisis.
