Q&A
Q&A on asylum seeker response and budget savings
5:14:00
·
95 sec
Council Member Adams inquires about the $586 million in savings on asylum seeker costs for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. Director Jiha explains that savings were achieved through contract renegotiations and stabilizing the census of asylum seekers.
- Adams specifically asks about savings from shelter time limits, but Jiha cannot provide a precise figure for that policy alone.
- Jiha emphasizes that the overall policy package has helped stabilize the asylum seeker population, leading to savings.
- The administration is unable to attribute savings to any single policy due to multiple factors impacting the situation.
Adrienne E. Adams
5:14:00
Thank you very much, chair.
5:14:01
Director, we thank you for being here once again and your team.
5:14:08
In looking at, the asylum seeker response and executive plan pegs, The executive plan includes approximately $586,000,000 of PEGS on asylum seeker costs in fiscal years 2024 and 2025 in 7 city agencies.
5:14:26
How were these savings calculated and how much of the savings is the result of the shelter time limits?
Jacques Jiha
5:14:33
Thank you, madam speaker, for the for the question.
5:14:36
The, savings basically were achieved by, renegotiating contract and by trying to keep the census stabilized.
5:14:44
These are the main drivers.
5:14:46
It's bringing down the per diem cost and at the same time trying to manage the census.
5:14:52
At least right now, it has been stabilized, it has not come down, but which is much better than having it going up.
Adrienne E. Adams
5:14:59
K.
5:15:01
Do we know how much of the savings though is the result of the shelter time limits at all?
Jacques Jiha
5:15:05
We can't tell, you know, for by a single policy alone because so many things impact, the savings.
5:15:12
But overall it has been as part of this, the, policy is part of the package of policy that we've been placed to basically stabilize the sensors.
5:15:21
So because the sensors are stabilized and as a result of the stability of the that sensors, we had generated some savings.
5:15:28
It's just part of the policy, but we cannot tell you specifically how much of that savings is driven by that particular policy.
