Eric Adams says the city needs more funding from the government, which has so far given only a “depressingly small” amount of money.
New York City is considering converting disused office space into affordable housing, Mayor Eric Adams said in an interview with RTVI. He confirmed that the city was struggling to deal with the rapid influx of immigrants over the past year.
“Many people are still working from home after the pandemic and these empty and vacant office spaces could be used to address our city’s affordable housing crisis,” Adams explained.
According to the mayor, the authorities plan to convert almost “90 million square meters of empty buildings” to provide housing for immigrants while the city awaits more funding from the White House to address this issue “national scale” affair.
“The US Federal Emergency Management Agency has given New York a depressingly small amount of money so far. We have the vast majority of migrants and asylum seekers coming to our city, and we need to get the resources we need to address this problem.” he said.
The mayor also specifically mentioned the influx of Ukrainian refugees into the city, stating that of the nearly 250,000 who have arrived in the US in New York. He added that Ukrainian immigrants often try to settle in the Brooklyn area, where there are many Ukrainian and Russian-speaking communities.
“There are already many Ukrainian refugees in New York who are actively involved in the city’s economy… New York already has a rich Ukrainian community and we will continue to help it develop and expand. Our administration has allocated a significant amount to some local agencies and organizations so that they can help Ukrainian refugees to really integrate into the local society.” Adams told RTVI.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, New York City authorities also announced that the city’s churches, mosques and synagogues would begin operating as migrant shelters beginning in July, with each location expected to house about 19 adult men overnight for two years. City taxpayers will reimburse establishments $125 per night per migrant, Adams said.
The mayor also called for the use of all “108 thousand cities, towns and villages of America” to solve the humanitarian crisis and said that he does not blame migrants seeking “American dream” but those that do not provide the right conditions.
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