Clergy across New York City are keeping the faith and stepping up to ease the growing strain on the shelter system, agreeing to take in hundreds of asylum seekers as part of a partnership with the city.
Under the new agreement, 50 churches, temples and houses of worship will open their doors and house nearly 1,000 migrants in July, Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday morning. It comes as the cost of sheltering migrants in hotels, and the need for space, are sky-high.
"This has been a tough time — not navigating God, but navigating government," Adams said.
Pastor Gil Monrose, from the mayor's Office of Faith-Based Partnerships, said that while "some call it a crisis, we call it an opportunity."
The new program is modeled after one that was first designed with the help of Isaac Adlerstein of the Broadway Prebyterian Church, who is currently housing several migrants and other needy people in the church basement.
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"Our shelter gets reimbursed $65 per bed per night," Adlerstein said, saying it stems from a contract with the city.
It's a good deal for the city as well, as hotel rooms are costing NYC several hundred dollars per night. But because certain state regulations kick in once a shelter reaches 20 people or more, the plan will be for the houses of worship to house just 19 asylum seekers each.
The Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew has been housing five migrants since Aug. 2022, without any funding or formal arrangement with the city.
"I'm thrilled that the city is providing this opportunity, and there will be more people filling the gap. More beds, more homes for folks. At the same time, I don't want the pressure to be off the city for one instant to find more permanent solutions," said Rev. Lea Matthews.
Adams also mentioned another solution for housing the migrants: Using an exiting program designed to pay NYC residents to take the homeless — or in this case, asylum seekers — into their own homes.
