“Our compassion may be limitless, but our resources are not. This is the budget reality we face if we don’t get the additional support we need,” Adams said during a speech in which he tried to pressure the Joe Biden administration to help ease the financial burden afflicting his city.
“New Yorkers did not create an international humanitarian crisis. But the residents of our city have had to deal with this crisis with virtually no help,” the mayor said.
The Department of Homeland Security recently sent a small team to New York City to help determine what the federal government’s response should be.
The federal government has so far promised $140 million in assistance, though the city has yet to receive a single dollar of that amount. A city spokesperson said applications have been submitted to receive such funds, but the delay could be due to routine bureaucratic reasons.
Nearly 100,000 migrants have arrived in New York City in need of shelter since spring 2022.
With the city’s shelters nearing capacity and more migrants continuing to arrive, the crisis is unlikely to abate any time soon. As of Sunday, the city was home to more than 82,000 people, including around 30,000 minors.
The Legal Aid Society and Coalition for the Homeless, two of the mayor’s most outspoken critics, made a plea for help similar to Adams’.
“This is a time that requires the full resources and authority of government at all levels, and the city should not have to grapple with the response without significant assistance from both the Biden and Hochul governments,” the agencies said. it’s a statement.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul admits the city needs more money, saying “it’s much more expensive than anyone would have imagined.”
He added that he hopes to ask lawmakers in Albany to release another $1 billion to help the city, adding to the $1 billion already earmarked for it.
FOUNTAIN: Associated Press
