Free housing in New York: how immigrants can settle in a hotel and not pay anything for it

Nearly 70% of New Yorkers do not own a home but rent it. However, renting an apartment in New York is not so easy. Even if you have money, but do not have the necessary documents or credit history, the property owner can easily refuse. However, the city has programs that are designed for immigrants and allow you to stay in a shelter hotel in New York absolutely free of charge.

There are two such programs: for single immigrants and for families with children. In order to be accommodated in a shelter hotel, you must first come to a special distribution center and register there (all centers are open around the clock).

If you are a single male immigrant in need of housing, then you need to go to the 30th Street Intake Center at 400-430 East 30th Street.

If you are a single immigrant in need of housing, go to the Franklin Shelter at 1122 Franklin Avenue (near 166th Street).

Read more about the Single Adult Housing Program here.

If you are a family with children, you must apply for free housing from Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing (PATH) at 151 East 151st Street. Find out more about free housing for families in New York here to register:.

On the subject: Housing, cellular communications, insurance, bank account for new immigrants in New York: the personal experience of a Russian

Personal experience of an immigrant: how a family received free housing in New York in less than a day

Yuri Kuzminykh came to the USA a year ago. He couldn't work because he didn't have permission. Now he lives with his family in a free hotel-shelter and is actively looking for work (permission came a couple of weeks ago). He told how he got free housing in New York, YouTube channel "Bureau".

In February, he and his family drove to a distribution center in the Bronx to apply for free housing.

“There was a big queue, we stood for half a day. When we got to the window, they only asked me about immigration status. I said that I was in the country as a political asylum seeker, the documents were sent to the court. Right now I only have forms with borders. They said everything was ok and they didn't need anything else. That is, they were not asked to show anything. They didn’t check, ask, or watch anything,” Yury said.

After the interview, his family was escorted to the 4th floor and asked to wait for the bus to arrive. An hour and a half later they were already on the bus on the way to the hotel. But then everything did not go as well and smoothly as it began.

“We were brought to some hotel in midtown Manhattan, dropped off, the bus left. We waited in the hall for a while, after which a woman approached us, asked our names, checked her lists and said that my family was not on the lists ... And decide the issue yourself as you wish, ”Kuzminykh noted.

Yuri asked her to call the distribution center in the Bronx, because, most likely, this was an overlay on their part. But she refused and sent Yuri and his family to deal with the center themselves.

“We called a taxi, got back to the Bronx, to this center. An employee met us there, she was surprised for a long time, but in the end she said: “Good! Let's do it again." We once again defended this queue and went through the same procedure, ”said Yuri.

Somewhere around 1 am, another bus arrived, people were taken to different hotels. Yuri's family was brought to a hotel in Manhattan. There they were given a family room with two double beds - for him, his wife and their two children.

“Before settling, we were issued: they made copies of the ID. We signed an agreement to stay in a shelter. As far as I remember (I briefly tried to understand him, I photographed him, they let me do it), the conditions there were as follows: if a family with children, then be in the shelter no later than 9 pm, if without children, then you can until 11 pm. We pledged to actively look for work, housing, cooperate with a social worker who will develop an individual program for adaptation and entry into society for everyone who is in the shelter ... I still don’t know what is behind this, we have never communicated with our social worker,” said the immigrant.

According to him, no terms of residence were set for them. There are certain requirements: not to violate public order and other basic things. For violation of these rules, they may be deprived of a place in a shelter, but the period of residence is not indicated.

It is noteworthy that the agreement mentions payment, but this clause is very vague and incomprehensible.

“The agreement says that if you start working, then you are obliged to compensate for living in a shelter, but in what amount is not clear. Does this mean that these prices will be approximately the same as a hotel room (on the website of this hotel it is indicated from 100 to 300 dollars per day), or these are some other amounts, it is not at all clear. And if there is no income, then, accordingly, they will not ask anything from you, ”said Yuri.