The migrant crisis could soon be literally hitting home for New York City Mayor Eric Adams, as he appears to be tossing around the idea of using Gracie Mansion to house asylum seekers as they continue to pour into the city.
Given the dire situation that Adams has repeatedly said the influx of tens of thousands of migrants into NYC has caused, the mayor said Tuesday that he's considering using his official mayoral residence on the Upper Ease Side as a shelter for migrants.
"I wanna lead from the front, that’s the type of leader I am," he said.
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Adams said he'll share his waterfront view with a migrant family as long as city guidelines agree. The mayor did not say how long he thinks it would take to investigate the logistics of such a plan, but said he believes he has enough space for a migrant family or two.
The comment follows his suggestion that everyday New Yorkers could possibly house asylum seekers in their private residences — and perhaps get compensation for it. It's an idea that New Yorkers has been met with mixed response from New Yorkers.
"I think we have to find a way to put people up in the city," said Eric Fowler, who lives in Gramercy.
"I wouldn't even accommodate my relatives," said Chinatown's Sun Lo, with a laugh.
It wasn't immediately clear how much residents would get paid to house migrants, but the plan would come with a catch: It would have to work around the city's 30-day rule and other provisions that dictate how long it takes someone to become a tenant.
It also comes after Adams announced that 50 churches, mosques and houses of worship will get paid to house nearly 1,000 migrants in an effort to take some of the pressure off hotels and the city's shelter system. Having the asylum seekers stay in churches would also cost significantly less for the city,
Instead of paying hotels, the city will pay the houses of worship $125 per person per night that they are hosting.
"We should be recycling our own dollars. We should take this crisis and go to opportunities. That is how we can deal with this," Adams said.
Within the last year NYC has seen huge waves of asylum seekers. Officials have said they've welcomed more 72,000 since 2022, with 45,000 of them actively getting assistance — creating a major lack of space. On Tuesday, it was confirmed that the Westchester County city of White Plains is now housing 46 migrants, and hundreds more could soon be sleeping on cots at a JFK Airport warehouse, pending approval from Port Authority.
