NYC shelter provider struggling under crush of migrants

NYC shelters buckling under migrant crisis

One of New York City's largest shelter providers is buckling under the number of migrant arrivals, with even more on the way.

NEW YORK - Busloads of asylum seekers are still arriving in New York City each week from border states.

The newcomers are taxing one of New York City's largest shelter providers, a non-profit called "Women in Need" or WIN.

Right now, WIN is helping 274 families seeking asylum including 700 children.

The women and children need the basics: food, clothing, and shelter, but they also have special requests for translators and mental health services.

Former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is President and CEO of WIN.

"These families have suffered a level of trauma that is unthinkable to the average person. We need resources to give extra levels of mental health care," Quinn says. "We're not budgeted for these additional level of need these families have in when we spent $1,000,000 more than we're budgeted for. We will continue to do that. But we need more help from the federal government for reimbursement for those services."

Mayor Eric Adams just returned from a trip to the border.

Once again, he is calling on the federal government to provide New York City with more money to help cover the costs to provide aid to asylum seekers.

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The mayor estimates this crisis will cost the city two billion dollars.

Mayor Adams says, "We expect more from our national leaders to address this issue in a real way."

Quinn agrees with the mayor that the federal government needs to give New York City more money but she also wants more help from the state and the city since she expects more migrants will be coming in the weeks and months ahead.

"It's why we have to organize to get the federal government to give us more money and to get the state to give us more money," Quinn says. "Because the state has never really given their fair share of funding for shelter and right now is the time for them to fix that."