REMARKS
Commissioner discusses plans for migrant housing and reducing reliance on hotels
2:00:12
ยท
129 sec
Commissioner Park addresses plans to connect migrants to permanent housing and transition them out of the shelter system. She also discusses the intention to reduce reliance on hotels as shelters and improve shelter siting across the city.
- Emphasizes priority of connecting all clients, including migrants, to permanent housing
- Acknowledges challenges due to limited resources available for asylum seekers
- Outlines plans for DHS to return as the primary sheltering agency for the city
- Discusses the goal of reducing reliance on hotels as shelters
- Mentions ongoing efforts to site shelters in every district of the city
Molly Wasow Park
2:00:12
So app let me start with the the last point.
2:00:13
Absolutely connecting all clients, including migrants, to to Absolutely, connecting all clients, including migrants to to permanent housing and and helping people exit shelter is a priority for the agency.
2:00:24
For the most part, the the asylum seekers are eligible for fewer resources and benefits than than, other clients.
2:00:34
So what that looks like is a little bit different, and our and our toolbox is a little bit more constrained, but we have been doing it.
2:00:40
As you note, the asylum census is down.
2:00:43
We although there still are about 54,000, recent immigrants in the across DHS and the, the non DHS, the h and h, and and other agencies that are involved in the process.
2:00:57
So it's a nontrivial number of people.
2:01:00
Over time, I think the direction that we are heading is that the the DHS will be the return to being the primary sheltering agency for the city.
2:01:10
You know, the we are very grateful for the fact that HH and NISEM and HPD stepped up, in a point in time where the shelter census was increasing faster than than DHS could cope, but at the end of the day, it's our mission and mandate to be the sheltering agency for the city.
2:01:26
So we are working through plans on what exactly that looks like.
2:01:32
I can't speak to specific addresses at this point in time, but we'll we'll certainly happy to to consult with you.
2:01:37
I think one of the things that is gonna be very important is we look to exit hotels, which I we can all agree that hotels are are they're good neither for the city or
UNKNOWN
2:01:50
for clients.
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
2:01:50
To our hotels in particular that I'm speaking about.
Molly Wasow Park
2:01:53
Yep.
2:01:53
That and that that's that's exactly what I'm speaking to.
2:01:57
Hotels are not great shelter.
2:01:59
They're quite expensive and they don't offer the appropriate community space and and frankly, even living space for people.
2:02:06
That is gonna be contingent on our ability to not only reduce the size of the shelter census, but place those with more intentional, sites.
2:02:15
And so we continue to work to make sure that we are citing shelters in every district in the city.