By Janaki Chadha

Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams are on the same page with trying to argue that the right to Shelter law shouldn't apply in cases of emergency, as is in the case with the migrant crisis. | Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

Both the mayor and governor have ramped up rhetoric in recent weeks aimed at discouraging migrants from coming to New York — and, with the same goal in mind, they’ve sought to curtail a longstanding policy that guarantees homeless shelter beds to those in need.

But if anything, the flow of asylum-seekers is only increasing.

A letter from Gov. Kathy Hochul last week formally backing Mayor Eric Adams’ legal push to temporarily suspend the so-called right to shelter noted as much: On just the week between Sept. 24 and Oct. 1, the number of migrants in the city’s care increased by 1,500 people, the letter said.

The city is nonetheless forging ahead on new shelter restrictions, as the legal battle over the 1981 shelter mandate heats up.

Homeless advocates, religious leaders and the influential labor union 1199 SEIU have formed a new coalition — New York Shelter for All in Need Equally, or NY SANE — aimed at fighting the Adams administration’s efforts to roll back the city’s sheltering obligations. They argue the requirement has long prevented people from having to sleep on streets.

Meanwhile, the administration is expected to soon announce a new 60-day limit for migrants in shelters, this time targeting families with children.

That move is already drawing pushback. Josh Goldfein, an attorney at the Legal Aid Society, said forcing migrant families to move after two months would be “incredibly disruptive and harmful” — particularly when concerning children enrolled in schools.

He added, “They are creating a situation where there are more people coming to the intake office that they can manage and we don’t want to see a repeat of what we saw in July when people ended up on the sidewalk.”

The ongoing legal fight could have lasting implications for the mandate, which has for decades shaped how the city has responded to growing homelessness — a problem that was at crisis levels long before the migrant influx began.

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The skyline of midtown Manhattan is visible from a room at the Millennium Hilton New York Hotel in New York City on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023. | Ted Shaffrey/AP Photo

GLOOMY FORECAST FOR OFFICE SECTOR — Crain’s Aaron Elstein: “A trio of economists who last year warned New York office buildings could lose 40 percent of their value — unleashing an ‘urban doom loop’ as work-from-home inclinations linger — are now warning of an even bleaker future.

“In the coming weeks, the authors of the 2022 study, Work From Home and the Office Real Estate Apocalypse, will update their sobering analysis, which forecast a 39.2% decline in the value of New York office buildings between 2019 and 2029. In May the economists upped the ante to 42.3% and they expect to soon further refine their figures by incorporating data that accounts for building operating costs….

“The good news is that certain new office towers, which the study’s authors describe as A+ buildings, are seeing rents not only hold up but in some cases increase. Trouble is, there are only a handful of A+ buildings.”

NEW SHELTER LIMITS FOR MIGRANTS — New York Daily News’ Chris Sommerfeldt: “Migrant families with children will only be able to stay in city shelters for 60 days at a time under a new policy Mayor Adams is expected to announce as soon as this weekend, a source familiar with the matter told the Daily News. The policy comes on top of an Adams administration restriction limiting consecutive shelter stays for adult migrants without kids to 30 days.

“Since the restriction on adults was first implemented in July, migrant families with kids have been the only category of asylum seekers guaranteed beds in the city shelter system without time limits.”

LOOKING BACK AT AN OLD NYCHA DEMOLITION PLAN — City Limits’ Tatyana Turner: “In addition to razing and rebuilding all 2,055 NYCHA units at Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea, the plan will also build 3,500 new mixed-income apartments on the housing authority campuses. There are tenants who are in favor of the prospective plans, which officials say will replace their current aging homes with brand new, amenity-laden apartments. In June, NYCHA announced that a majority of voting residents opted to have the campus rezoned and rebuilt, a process that could take approximately six years to complete.

“But others, like Jackie, who has lived in her Fulton apartment for 21 years, are adamantly opposed to the proposal. Jackie, who asked to be identified by first name only, knows that the demolition of public housing has led to displacement—in the 2000s, in cities like Chicago and NYCHA’s own Prospect Plaza Houses in nearby Brooklyn.”

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A man orders food at a street vendor in Zuccotti Park during the lunch hour in Lower Manhattan, April 12, 2019 in New York City. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images

VENDOR PERMITS REMAIN SCARCE — New York Times’ Stefanos Chen: “New York has one of the largest fleets of mobile food vendors in the country, powered by waves of mostly immigrant entrepreneurs seeking a toehold in the city’s economy. But the bottleneck in the permit process has left many operating outside the law and vulnerable to exploitative schemes, even as the city has increased policing of vendors.

“City officials have promised to improve the licensing system but have been slow to do so. Only 14 new permits have been issued through mid-September, more than a year after the city was required to jump-start the frozen application process, according to a city progress report reviewed by The New York Times.”

STATEN ISLAND’S BIGGEST EVICTOR — Gothamist’s David Brand and Karen Yi: “The owner of a large housing complex in New Dorp, Staten Island, is carrying out more evictions than any other landlord in the borough, with dozens of tenants — including many with rent subsidies — receiving removal notices over a few thousand dollars in missed payments.

“Revona Properties — a subsidiary of the real estate behemoth Cammeby’s International Group — filed 169 eviction cases against tenants at Tysens Park Apartments since a statewide freeze on most removals ended in January 2022, according to records tracked by Gothamist.”

TEXAS OFFICES SEE HIGH VACANCIES — Wall Street Journal’s Konrad Putzier: “America’s highest office vacancies aren’t in the East and West Coast cities that have been shedding population and workers. They are in Texas, a thriving Sunbelt state that has been luring companies away from the big coastal cities.

“Houston, Dallas and Austin top the list of major U.S. cities with the highest office-vacancy rates, according to Moody’s Analytics. About 25% of their office space wasn’t leased as of the third quarter. That was more than double New York’s vacancy rate of 12% and well above San Francisco’s vacancy rate of 17%.”

— There are only 405 legal short-term rentals available in the city following new restrictions.

— Office occupancy in New York lags other major cities.

— Here’s how to search property records like a reporter, courtesy of THE CITY.

— Daily News op-ed: “Is New York City changing or am I?”

A message from Lyft:

Rideshare drivers deserve fairness! Ridesharing provides numerous benefits to New Yorkers, while providing crucial economic security and flexibility for drivers. That’s why it’s critical that rideshare drivers NOT be subject to another congestion pricing tax. Rideshare drivers are already subject to a congestion fee (the only one currently in NYC), which along with other taxes has placed an unfair burden on their ability to earn a living. Asking them to pay more is simply unfair.

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