New York officials will transform an assisted living facility in Staten Island into a shelter for migrants in the coming months, Staten Island Advance reported.
The transformation comes despite local officials’ vocal opposition to the project.
In September, the facility’s management told its 53 residents they were selling the building and would have to move out by March 1, 2023.
A group of Republican officials called for the site to be sold to an entity “with a similar end-use as a senior retirement facility” in a letter sent to Department of Social Services Commissioner Molly Park.
“This site was an important cornerstone in our senior care system and we have been advocating to the owner of the site to sell to an entity with a similar end-use as a senior retirement facility,” the letter said. “With several potential buyers interested in providing some type of long-term care to Staten Islanders this migrant shelter sets back Staten Islanders’ senior healthcare options.”
The former assisted living facility has a 288-bed capacity. However, the migrant shelter will house up to 2,000 adults, according to the Staten Island Advance. The transformation is part of a partnership between New York City and the state, so the state government will reimburse the city for the associated costs of the site.
New York City has seen an influx of close to 100,000 migrants due to President Joe Biden’s failure to secure the border.
A New York City Hall spokesperson told the Staten Island Advance that “all options remain on the table” in addressing the migrant crisis.
“As we’ve said multiple times, with more than 95,000 asylum seekers coming through our intake system since last spring, all options remain on the table. Our teams run out of space every single day and we do our best to offer placements wherever we have space available,” the spokeswoman said. “Children and families continue to be prioritized and are found a bed every night, but, while our compassion is limitless, our resources are not. We still desperately need help from our state and federal partners.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, joined by New York City Mayor Eric Adams, delivers remarks on August 24, 2022, in New York City. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) praised Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) for the state’s partnership in opening this new humanitarian relief center.”
Adams said:
As the number of asylum seekers in our care continues to grow by hundreds every day, stretching our system to its breaking point and beyond, it has become more and more of a Herculean effort to find enough beds every night. We’re grateful to Governor Hochul and New York state for their partnership in opening this new humanitarian relief center and covering the costs, and we need more of the same from all levels of government. We will continue to work with the governor and elected officials across the state to address this crisis as New York City continues to do more than any other level of government.
The assisted living facility in Staten Island is the latest institution to be converted into a migrant shelter throughout New York City. In May, a former public school in Staten Island was converted to a shelter to house up to 300 migrants. Local officials also spoke out against the school’s transformation at the time.
“This is the end result of failed policies at the border that are falling on the backs of Staten Island and [other] New York City taxpayers. I feel for those who have to make these decisions, but Staten Islanders didn’t create this problem, so why should they play such a big role in having to solve it?” Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella said.
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jdixonhamilton@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter.
