The famous and iconic Roosevelt Hotel, named after former United States President Theodore Roosevelt, which was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be reopened to become a shelter for migrant families who have no means to stay in New York. There is no place for
This Monday, local officials announced that after three years of closure, the historic hotel on 45th Street in Manhattan will reopen as an emergency response and humanitarian aid center.
The mayor of New York, Eric Adams, explained via a statement that the hotel, which opened in 1924 and closed in 2020, would serve as a center for asylum seekers where medical and legal services would be provided.
Eric Adams said, “With the opening of another humanitarian relief center, we continue to ask our federal and state partners for a real decompression strategy and hope to see more temporary shelters opened and operating throughout the state and nation.” May go.”
Starting this week, the famed 19-story, 1,000-room hotel joins a group of 120 hotels contracted by the city to house migrants after public shelters were overcrowded.
This new center will have 175 rooms available for children and their families, a space that will later be expanded to 850 rooms.
For his part, the mayor of New York indicated that 100 to 150 rooms would be reserved for migrants who would be passing through to continue their journey in other states.
An expatriate who is already staying at the famous hotel told NTN24 that they have treated her well and that “the benefits she has so far are taking issue with.”
In the past year, New York City has established 120 emergency shelters and another 8 humanitarian centers, providing social assistance to more than 65,000 asylum seekers.
“To the extent that New York City has already reached capacity (…) without federal or state aid, we will not be able to continue treating new immigrants and those who are already here with dignity and care.” , “said the mayor of the Big Apple”.
For his part, Vijay Dadapani, president and CEO of the New York City Hotel Association, noted that “hotels are not the solution to these situations.”
“Participating hotels do this entirely on a voluntary basis,” Dadapani said.
