Mayor Adams Announces
Migrant Shelter Closures

Shelter Closures to Ease Strain on Communities

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has announced a new wave of migrant shelter closures as the city continues to reduce its asylum seeker population and manage costs. Thirteen additional emergency shelters across the five boroughs—including one of the city’s largest at Hall Street in Brooklyn, which currently houses approximately 3,500 migrants—are set to close by June 2025.

These closures will eliminate about 10,000 shelter beds, building on last month’s announcement of 25 other sites closing by March 2025, including the large facilities at Floyd Bennett Field and Randall’s Island. By mid-2025, over 20% of the city’s emergency shelters opened during the migrant crisis will be shut down.

Mayor Adams credited the closures to the city’s asylum seeker management strategies and recent federal border policy changes, which have driven down shelter populations for 27 consecutive weeks and are projected to save nearly $2.8 billion over three fiscal years.

Mayor Adams: Progress Through Tough Decisions

“The policies we implemented and the tremendous work of dedicated public servants show how our administration continues to manage this unprecedented crisis creatively and effectively,” said Mayor Adams. “Our efforts have helped more than **178,000 asylum seekers—78% of those in our care—**take the next steps toward the American Dream. We will keep working to help migrants become self-sufficient while saving taxpayer dollars.”

Community Leaders Respond to the Closures

Renee Collymore, Democratic Liaison for Brooklyn’s 57th Assembly District—covering Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, and Prospect Heights—has long advocated for the closure of the massive 4,000-person shelter in Clinton Hill/Fort Greene.

“My fight was not in vain, and this decision will finally bring some relief to our community,” said Collymore. “Most shelters house up to 400 people who need support, but this one held 4,000. I’m glad to see these individuals will be transitioned into shelters that are more appropriately sized. I commend Mayor Adams for his work. It had to be a daunting task, but he’s getting it done.”

Impact of the Closures

In addition to the Hall Street facility, shelters set to close include:

• BK Way, Brooklyn

• Holiday Inn Express, Brooklyn

• The VYBE BK, Brooklyn

• 99 Washington HERRC, Manhattan

• The Stewart HERRC, Manhattan

• The Watson HERRC, Manhattan

• Hotel Nedia, Queens

• Holiday Inn/Staten Island Inn, Staten Island

• Ramada, Yonkers

To support the transition, the city will open a smaller, brick-and-mortar facility on Bruckner Boulevard in the Bronx for single adult males from the Randall’s Island tent facility.

Path Forward for Migrants

The city has focused on helping asylum seekers become self-sufficient by expanding work authorization access—over 75% of eligible adults have applied for or received work permits. NYC has also issued over 53,200 travel tickets to help migrants reach their preferred destinations and conducted more than 781,000 case management sessions to help them find housing and employment.

Thanks to these efforts, shelter populations have dropped from a peak of 69,000 in January 2024 to under 51,000 today, marking the lowest level in more than 18 months.

Ongoing Community Support

Mayor Adams emphasized the city’s continued commitment to managing the migrant crisis responsibly.

“Our humanitarian efforts have shown real results,” Adams said. “We will keep working to support migrants and ease the burden on our communities.”