NEW YORK — In an effort to speed up the process for asylum seekers looking to get legal work status, New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced an investment in New York City case workers.
On Monday, a $20 million investment was announced. This is in addition to the $1.5 billion the state has already spent addressing the asylum seeker crisis. Hochul's office says the ultimate goal is for asylum seekers to be able to get legal work status and then leave a shelter to live independently.
“The path out of this crisis is work authorization,” Hochul said. “New York has always welcomed immigrants and new arrivals — and getting asylum seekers on track to work authorization will help them become self-sufficient and come out of the shadows. New York State has provided significant humanitarian aid for more than a year, and we’re committed to continuing to support the City in managing this ongoing crisis.”
According to the Governor's office, this new initiative will engage 30,000 asylum seekers with exit-support case management services. These asylum seekers are currently being sheltered by NYC Health + Hospitals, NYC Emergency Management, and the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
A new method of triage about the degree of difficulty for an asylum seeker's exit will also be deployed. Each will be assigned a color depending on the barriers they face to exit a shelter. Hochul's office says this will help with the speed of exit.
The state has committed $1.5 billion to support city shelters and more than 1,800 New York National Guard members have been deployed to city-run shelters to provide "logistical and operational support."