From New York to LA, Housing Insecurity Is Undermining Immigrant Students
NYC’s new policy of evicting families from shelters after 60 days is forcing children to repeatedly switch schools.
By Eleanor J. Bader , TRUTHOUT
PublishedMay 24, 2024
ANDREW LICHTENSTEIN / CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES
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When New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued a notice to asylum-seeking families in January informing them that they would be evicted from temporary shelters after a 60-day stay, they were told that “intensive case management” would be available to help them achieve economic self-sufficiency. In making this pronouncement, Adams ignored the city’s 43-year-old “right to shelter” law, a policy that guarantees temporary housing to all unhoused people who need it.
Unsurprisingly, the help that Adams promised has not materialized.
According to a report issued by City Comptroller Brad Lander in early May, “notices given to families, training for staff, and written guidelines were all inadequate…. Investigators found that the city provides very limited case management services that do little to help asylum-seeking families … and specifically discriminated against families of elementary-school-aged children in shelter placements, making it more likely that their schooling would be disrupted.”
Calling the process “haphazard,” Lander further lambasted the Adams administration for undermining the education of the more than 36,000 migrant children who have enrolled in the city’s public schools since spring 2022. The critique further stressed that while families can apply for additional 60-day placements, the constant movement from shelter to shelter can lead to heightened emotional distress and anxiety.
https://truthout.org/articles/from-new-york-to-la-housing-insecurity-is-undermining-immigrant-students/
