New York City is prepared to dole out up to $54,000 per month to religious centers willing to shelter migrants, a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams told the New York Post on Friday.
New York City Hall is seeking to have 50 overnight shelters and five daytime centers taking in migrants in the coming weeks, the Post reported, a bill that could reach $2.97 million per month. However, that's a steep decline from emergency contracts that have cost the city $300 million per month, Adams said in August.
The first shelter opened this week at a rabbinical seminary in Queens for 15 single adults, Adams' office told the Post.
"As Mayor Adams has said, it is not enough to be parishioners; we must also be practitioners. And congregations that participate in our faith bed program are doing just that," City Hall spokesperson Kayla Mamelak told the Post.
The effort is the latest for New York — which a few short years ago was gung-ho about being a sanctuary city — to deal with the crush of roughly 65,000 migrants in its care. The price tag is expected to be $10 billion through the next fiscal year, the Post reported.
The city is offering $54,000 per month for centers to house migrants from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, according to the report. Centers that can house from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. would get reimbursed up to $35,500 per month.
"It's an absolute disgrace that our city wastes millions on people who shouldn't be here while our veterans and citizens are left homeless and forgotten," Queens Democrat Councilman Bob Holden told the Post. "City Hall for years ignored a faith-based approach to housing our own, but have no problem rolling out the red carpet for migrants. What a travesty."
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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