New York City is set to receive $104.6 million in grant funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help cover its growing expenses related to the ongoing migrant crisis, Sen. Charles Schumer’s office confirmed to The Post.
That’s a third of the $363 million left in the pot allocated by FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program, dedicated to helping municipalities around the US and nonprofits providing shelter and other services to homeless migrants who crossed into the country from the southern border.
Although it’s also far less than the $650 million total initially requested by NYC Mayor Eric Adams earlier this year, the Big Apple has now received the largest grant from the program compared to other jurisdictions.
“When we negotiated these funds into the budget for the FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter Program and the new Shelter Services Program, it was with New York City’s needs front and center — and the share of funding of this tranche reflects that intent,” Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said in a joint statement.
New York City is set to receive $104.6 million in grant funding from FEMA to help cover the ongoing migrant crisis. Getty Images
Migrants largely from Latin America arrive at a former correctional facility at 31-33 W. 110th St. and Central Park North. Stephen Yang
NYC has received the largest grant from the program compared to other jurisdictions. Getty Images“New York City continues to be disproportionately challenged by an influx of asylum seekers and it will take an all-hands-on-deck, every-level-of-government approach to solving, including getting more funds and establishing quicker administrative pathways to work authorization and broadening the eligibility for Temporary Protective Status, particularly for Venezuela, which we are strongly urging the Biden administration to implement.”
Based on City Hall’s own estimated costs to care for the current surge of asylum-seekers at a projected $5 million a day, this latest round of FEMA funding will cover just 22 days.
The city’s Office of Management and Budget received just $30.5 million during the first half of the program’s award period in May — bringing Gotham’s total federal reimbursement to just $38.5 million for the migrant crisis since last December.
Migrants and support personnel outside the Roosevelt Hotel in New York. Christopher Sadowski
An ICE agent monitors asylum seekers who are being processed upon entering the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building on June 6, 2023, in New York City. Getty ImagesHizzoner has estimated that housing, feeding, and providing other services to upwards of 45,000 migrants will cost the city over $4.3 billion by June 2024.
The amount also exceeded dismal expectations by city budget director Jacques Jiha, who predicted the Big Apple would get just 10% of the remaining $363 million.
City Hall did not return an immediate request for comment.
