Migrant families receive $4000 in grants to aid transition out of NYC shelters

New York City launched a pilot program to help migrants transition out of city shelters by providing them with $4000 for permanent housing, a city official confirmed to Fox News Digital on Friday.

The NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS) offered 150 families cash assistance through the Asylee Moveout Assistance (AMA), a pilot created in December last year to help find permanent housing for asylum seekers. The pilot was launched in partnership with some city shelters providing services for asylum seekers.

“The city is using every tool at its disposal to implement innovative and cost-effective solutions to help recently-arrived asylum seekers residing in shelters take the next steps in their journey,” a Department of Social Services (DSS) spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

DHS officials in December started dispensing $4000 to 150 households who live in the city’s emergency DHS shelters. 

“Since December, DSS has been working with a few not-for-profit providers operating emergency sites to pilot a new effort to reduce barriers to obtaining housing by helping asylum-seeking families who have identified permanent housing with the upfront cost of moving into their new home,” the DSS spokesperson said.

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“150 households have benefitted from this pilot over the last seven months, and we look forward to supporting more households as we assess the success of the pilot and feasibility of scaling up and expanding access to this form of assistance,” the statement from DSS reads further.

Eligibility for the $4000 grant is solely limited to asylum-seeking families and pregnant women who are residing in select DHS emergency shelters and have already identified permanent housing.

There is no city funding allocated for this program, the DSS spokesperson told Fox News Digital. DHS is using money from existing funds within the agency, the DSS spokesperson added.

“This is a very small pilot only available to asylum-seeking families in select emergency shelters operated by DHS. This is not a citywide effort and not available to migrant families residing across the shelter system,” the DSS spokesperson added.

The $4,000 would be used to cover security deposits, moving expenses, first and last month rent and any household necessities. Migrant families who receive the grant are required to document their expenses.

Migrants who return to city shelters are not eligible for a second payment. 

Additionally, families can receive up to $1,000 in gift cards for household necessities and moving expenses.

The program is similar to the city’s Enhanced one-shot deals program, which was established by the Human Resources Administration and DHS. 

The pre-existing EOSDs provided “one time payments” to assist homeless working families transition out of the shelter system and live independently.

“The Asylee Moveout Assistance pilot is modeled after similar programs offering one-time emergency assistance of up to $4,000 to cover upfront rehousing costs which may include the security deposit and moving expenses,” the DSS spokesperson said.

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This effort comes amid NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ attempt to relieve shelters that are overflowing with migrants. 

Adams in March imposed restrictions on its “right to shelter” policy. The policy, which mandated a bed be provided for any individual who requires it, would be shortened to a 30-day stay. 

NYC is projected to have spent more than $5 billion over the last two years on the migrant crisis and the expense is estimated to double by 2025, the New York Post reported. Such spending of taxpayer money includes the cost of shelter, food, healthcare, and education.

Adams has said that he expects the costs of the migrant crisis to reach $10 billion over a three-year period ending June 30, 2025. 

Back in February, the mayor testified at an annual hearing in the Empire State’s capital, asking for $4.6 billion to fund NYC programs through 2025. 

He added that the city’s shelter population has tripled since he took office.