Mayor Eric Adams (Getty)
City Hall is appealing to the real estate industry to help house the growing number of asylum seekers arriving in New York.
The Economic Development Corporation issued a request for proposals on Thursday for space to temporarily house migrants. The call for tenders casts a wide net, calling on developers to offer spaces that can “accommodate collective-style housing,” such as industrial spaces, but does not rule out hotels, offices and residential spaces.
At a minimum, the space must be 60,000 square feet and have electricity, at least two emergency exits, and no health hazards. Developers would need the ability to add kitchens, bathrooms, fire alarms, heating, hot water, and other basics.
Sites must also comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The city would lease the space for one year, with renewal options for two one-year periods. Developers or owners can work with brokers, but must pay their commission.
Applicants may propose one or more locations for the city to operate as emergency humanitarian response and relief centers, billed by the city as the first point of contact for individuals and families in need of shelter , food and medical care.
Responses to the RFP are due January 27. The city has indicated that it will give preference to applicants who can deliver the sites quickly, and no later than four months after submitting their proposal.
The Adams administration opened more than 60 emergency shelters — in hotels and other locations – and four humanitarian emergency response and relief centers to manage the influx of migrants. Since the spring, nearly 32,000 asylum seekers have arrived, according to NBC, overwhelming shelters across the city.
Mayor Eric Adams declared a state of emergency in October to help fund the effort. The city is on the verge of receiving federal money and has also called on the state to send help.
Adams predicts even more arrivals once Title 42, a federal policy limiting entry at the U.S. border, expires. The policy was due to end on Wednesday, but its fate now lies with the Supreme Court.
“Over the past three days, New York City has received approximately 1,100 asylum seekers, and that number continues to grow,” a City Hall spokesperson said in a statement. “This tender is another way for the city to prepare for an additional influx of asylum seekers and it provides the flexibility needed to deal with this fluid crisis.”
Adams also raised the possibility of reviving tent cities to house asylum seekers, according to Gothamist. The mayor has faced backlash from the city council and is advocating to suggest that the council cut discretionary spending to free up some cash.
Michelle Jackson, executive director of the Human Services Council, said in a statement that her nonprofit has been “on the frontlines of this wave since the day it started.”
“Mayor Adams missed the first lesson in crisis management: know your allies,” Jackson said in a statement. “These organizations rely on Council’s discretionary funding to survive. If the mayor thinks he’s facing a crisis with social service workers, then I assure you he won’t want to know what it’s like without them.
The city is set to receive a hefty $800 million portion of a federal spending bill, according to the New York Daily News. Funding must be approved by the end of the week.