Statement from Comptroller Lander on Mayor Adams’ Request to Suspend the Right to Shelter

New York, NY – City Comptroller Brad Lander issued the following statement:

“New York City’s right to shelter makes this city a place where people without a home can have a roof over their heads. The Adams administration’s attempt to abdicate its responsibility to uphold this legal obligation undermines the foundation of the social safety net in this city.

“Providing shelter to arriving asylum seekers is a massive undertaking that stretches the management capacity of this administration and a financial strain that the federal government needs to cover. The City must urgently turn its attention toward moving long term stayers into housing, as well as supporting new arrivals to apply for asylum and work authorization so they too can leave shelter. Rather than seeking to circumvent the state constitutional requirement to provide safe and dignified shelter, the Mayor should have gone to court to clarify that it applies to all municipalities in New York State.”

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