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Mayor Adams says 12th migrant relief center slated for vacant college dorm in Manhattan
By
Charles Lane
Published Jun 27, 2023
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By
Charles Lane
Published Jun 27, 2023
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The city will open a 12th migrant relief center on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement on Tuesday.
The site, at Third Avenue and 97th Street, will serve more than 500 families, according to the mayor’s statement. The building was previously a college dorm that has been vacant since May, according to workers in the area.
The mayor’s office did not give an exact date when the Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center will open, however.
City officials continued to plead for more help in handling what they called the “humanitarian crisis.”
“Our city cannot continue to shoulder a disproportionate responsibility for what we know is a national issue,” Anne Williams-Isom, deputy mayor for health and human services, said. “The federal government needs to provide additional assistance and a coordinated decompression strategy to relieve the pressure being felt by many major cities across the country, particularly New York City.”
According to City Hall, at least 81,200 migrants have arrived in the city since last spring, which the mayor said has been the main driver behind record-high homelessness at city shelters. The city has opened about 175 emergency shelters, including 11 other large-scale humanitarian relief centers since the crisis began last year.
The City Council has grown increasingly critical of the mayor’s plans for housing asylum seekers. In a heated exchange at an oversight hearing last week, Councilmember Diana Ayala said she was shocked to learn that some shelters didn’t have showers.
“But for folks needing to step out of a facility to go to another facility [to shower], I do have to ask, how far is this park site? Or how far are people going, particularly if these are folks with families, to take a shower?” she asked Zachary Iscol, the head of NYC Emergency Management, which oversees the so-called respite centers.
The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to questions if this new facility will have showers.
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Charles Lane
Charles is a Day-of reporter focused on breaking news and enterprise. He’s very friendly and can be reached at [email protected], or more securely on whatsapp/signal 631-295-6715
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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