Rights & Information

People who entered the US on or after March 15, 2022 and have a fear of returning to their home country.

Go to the Arrival Center at the Roosevelt Hotel located at 45 E 45th Street, New York, NY, 10017 (open all the time). You can also request a ticket to any location outside of New York City. If no one in your family is a child under 21 years old or pregnant, you qualify for shelter only if the City believes you have nowhere else to go. The City will ask questions about your friends, family, and contacts in the United States to determine if you have anywhere else you can live.

If you are eligible for a shelter placement, you cannot choose your shelter. If you or a family member has a disability, you may qualify for a reasonable accommodation in shelter, and you should let the staff know immediately. If you identify at LGBTQ+, you can also request a special placement that accommodates your needs, see Reasonable Accommodations Rights.

The City must provide you with a written notice (in your preferred language) if you are ineligible for shelter. If you disagree with the decision, you can ask a supervisor to review it. You can get a shelter bed if you show that the location the City has identified for you to stay is:

1) is not safe;
2) doesn’t accommodate your disability; or
3) that the person(s) living at that address will not actually let you stay.

The City must offer you transportation to anywhere they say you can go instead of shelter.

You can get more time if you have “extenuating circumstances” such as:

• You have found a place to live, and you will be able to move there within 30 days.
• You have an immigration hearing within the next 30 days.
• You are recovering from a serious medical procedure or you have an appointment or procedure for a serious medical condition within the next 30 days.
• You have taken significant steps to move out of shelter, but you still do not have a place to go.
• You have applied for asylum or temporary protected status. You may also be eligible for an extension if you have another eligible immigration status.

If you need an extension, go to the St Brigid Reticketing Center (185 E 7th Street, New York, NY 10009). We recommend you apply for an extension one week before the end of your 30 or 60-day shelter stay. At the Reticketing Center, you can reapply for shelter or request a ticket to another place in the US or abroad.

No, there is no limit on the number of extensions you can request, but you will need to prove you have “extenuating circumstances” each time you request a new extension. You need to start collecting evidence of your extenuating circumstances before your last day in shelter.

If you request an extension, you will need to show the Reticketing Center staff that you have taken significant steps to help you move out of shelter. Here are some steps you can take:

• Engage with caseworkers in shelter: Never miss a case worker appointment (or reschedule any appointments you cannot attend due to work, doctor appointments, etc).
• Immigration: Get an immigration appointment or apply for immigration relief with the City’s help.
• Employment: Look for work if you’re able to work. Keep notes of efforts.
• Housing: Look for housing by speaking with friends, looking online, working with a community group, and keep records of your efforts. A letter from a non-profit can help prove you are looking for housing.
• Other: Get an ITIN (tax ID) to file taxes, apply for photo ID, take a job training course, take English courses, apply for public assistance.

Tip: We recommend taking as many steps as you can to show you have made significant efforts to move out of shelter. To help you remember your efforts, take a photo of documents you receive and any place you go.

If your request is denied, you will receive a written notice (in your preferred language). If you believe the decision is wrong, ask for a supervisor review. This should happen quickly. If you have no other place to go or your request for an extension was denied, you can go to a drop-in center. A drop-in center is a place where you can stay indoors at night, but it will not have beds – only chairs. The drop-in center will have bathrooms, meals, and either showers or information about where you can find a shower. The staff at the Reticketing Center can tell you how to access a drop-in center.

If you need assistance after being found ineligible for shelter, your extension request was denied, or you need accommodations as a result of a disability, you can call The Legal Aid Society’s Homeless Rights Project at 212-298-3160. You can also reach the Crisis Intervention Program at the Coalition for the Homeless by calling 1-888-358-2384 on business days from 9am until 5pm. Coalition for the Homeless staff can assist you by phone or may be able to offer in-person meetings by appointment only. Appointments must be made by calling the hotline in advance.