To ease the burden on the city’s shelter system, adult migrants will be allowed to stay in shelters for only 30 days under the agreement, city officials said.
After that, they will not be able to reapply for a bed, which they are currently allowed to do.
Some would be allowed to stay longer if they meet certain conditions, including having a medical disability or an “extenuating circumstance,” officials said.
The changes to the so-called right-to-shelter requirement are a major shift in a policy that had set New York apart from all other big U.S. cities.
In no other city must officials guarantee a bed to any homeless person who seeks one, something city officials have alternately taken pride in and fought against for decades.
Persons:
Gerald Lebovits
Organizations:
Legal Aid Society
Locations:
York