Last Updated: September 26, 2024
New York City has welcomed tens of thousands of asylum seekers since spring of 2022, the latest wave in a long history of immigration that has shaped this city’s economic and cultural success for generations. The City of New York has embraced the challenge of providing shelter and services to new arrivals to help them get on their feet, entering into hundreds of emergency contracts across many agencies to provide shelter, meals, medical care, legal assistance, and many other services to new arrivals. These new New Yorkers, like the generations before them, will be a boost to the NYC economy and help drive new ideas, industries, and opportunities to shape our future thriving. The Comptroller’s Office is focused on ensuring that the City has and deploys the resources needed to scale up legal services and case management to help new arrivals gain economic independence and become part of our communities.
The Comptroller’s Office keeps a close eye on emergency contracting and spending – to provide budget oversight, ensure procurements follow appropriate procedures, and identify opportunities to maximize City dollars to better serve New York City residents, whether their families arrived here decades ago or just yesterday. On these pages you can find and download available information about services the City is offering, contracting, budgeting, and other updates for newly arrived asylum seekers.
Asylum Seeker Population in City Funded Shelter (Individuals)
Source: NYC Mayor’s Office and Office of the NYC Comptroller
Note: Asylum seeker population represents all asylum seekers in City-funded shelter at the associated date. It does not include individuals outside of the shelter system, including those waiting for shelter in waiting rooms.
The Office of the Comptroller uses the term “asylum seeker” to refer to newly arrived migrants who have come to NYC in need of shelter and are seeking asylum or other forms of immigration relief.
Asylum Seeker Services Updates