January 25, 2023 (NEW YORK, NY) – The Legal Aid Society and Coalition for the Homeless issued the following statement in response to Mayor Eric Adams’ remarks on WABC’s “Sid & Friends in the Morning” suggesting that asylum seekers are not entitled to New York’s Right to Shelter protections: “Anyone in need of shelter, including asylum seekers, is entitled to such, as prescribed by multiple long-standing court orders and local law. This is not a responsibility that Mayor Adams can decide to shirk, and he knows better. “We again call on City Hall to implement the solutions that we proposed last year – including overhauling the CityFHEPS voucher process to better transition homeless New Yorkers into permanent housing, which would free up capacity in the City’s shelter system. “Flouting the law would accomplish nothing and such a move would only land this Administration in front of a judge for contempt. The Mayor must clarify his remarks from this morning immediately.”
