TAKE ACTION: Defending the Right to Shelter

The right to shelter is a critical protection for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness, both recent arrivals and longtime residents. Mayor Adams is trying to erode this bedrock right in the courts while simultaneously attempting to violate it in practice. These efforts are morally unacceptable, legally dubious, and bad policy. Dismantling NYC’s right to shelter won’t get anyone housed; it will just mean thousands of our neighbors will be forced to sleep on the streets. Housed New Yorkers must stand with homeless neighbors to challenge these efforts.

OHI has been active in pushing back against the attacks on the right to shelter. This week, we joined a prayer vigil organized by the NY SANE Coalition, where New Yorkers from all faiths came together to affirm the dignity and rights of all our neighbors, and to call on the city to preserve the right to shelter. We were also proud to sign onto letters to Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams organized by the Coalition for the Homeless and signed by dozens of other organizations. And at the end of the summer, as the city began issuing 60-day notices to force asylum seekers to leave shelter even if they had nowhere else to go, OHI members from across the city spoke up to show the city that asylum seekers are welcome in our communities and should not be forced out.

We urge all New Yorkers to speak up now to show the Mayor that his attempts to violate and erode the right to shelter are cowardly and unacceptable.