New York City representatives have announced they are expanding a program that helps migrant families staying in city-funded hotels, offering them debit cards so they’re able to buy their own food.
Back in February, when the program was first proposed, it received much criticism, largely over concerns that the cards would be misused and that migrants were being given priority over other struggling people in the city.
However, officials connected to the program said that fraud prevention measures had been successful, as the cards were used as intended to feed more than 1,300 children and 42 pregnant women during the program’s first 13 weeks, The NY Times wrote. They also reported that participants are required to sign an affidavit promising only to use the cards for food or baby supplies, and if they are caught doing otherwise, they could be removed from the program. Additionally, the cards have digital coding that prevents them from being used at certain stores.
With the program’s new expansion, debit cards are projected to be distributed to more than 7,300 migrants over the next six months at a cost of about $2.6 million, according to city officials. The pilot program initially started with roughly 900 families, or nearly 3,000 migrants.
“When we empower people, we help them achieve self-sufficiency and access the American dream,” Anne Williams-Isom, the city’s deputy mayor for health and human services, said in a public statement. She characterized the pilot program as a success, maintaining it supported migrants, reduced costs and put money back into local businesses where the cards are typically used.
Currently, the program is expanding from three hotels where migrants are housed to 17, and city officials estimate that the debit cards could serve about 2 percent of the total migrant population; more than 60,000 migrants are in the city’s care. New York City is legally mandated to provide food to migrants under a right-to-shelter requirement, but those who are not in city-funded housing aren’t eligible for the debit cards.
The new cards are expected to cost the city around $2.6 million, which officials said is less than a previous program that delivered meals to migrants.
