If New York City homeowners have a room to spare, it may be occupied by a migrant in the near future.
That’s according to a plan from Mayor Eric Adams revealed Monday where he suggested paying homeowners to let migrants crash in their personal homes as officials look for ways to handle the influx of border crossers being sent to the Big Apple.
“It is my vision to take the next step to this faith-based locales and then move to a private residence,” Mr. Adams said at a Monday press conference outside City Hall. “There are residents who are suffering right now because of economic challenges. They have spare rooms.”
Mr. Adams also pitched the plan as a good way to put the local, state and federal money being issued to address the migrant crisis “back in the pockets of everyday New Yorkers, everyday houses of worship, instead of putting it in the pockets of corporations.”
Beginning in July, a number of churches, mosques and other houses of worship will begin hosting migrants for $65 per night. The mayor said he would find a way around local laws that prevent homeless people from staying in private homes.
The city estimates that it is costing $4.2 billion to house the nearly 46,000 migrants who have taken up shelter in New York.
Over 72,000 migrants have been sent to the city from the U.S. southern border since last spring when Republican governors in Texas and Arizona began busing people to major metropolitan areas throughout the country.
