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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline JUNE 21, 2024 | The Indian Eye 20

Adams Administration

Releases Competitive RFP to Reduce

Asylum Seeker Costs

Will Allow City to Find Efficiencies, Reduce Costs as City Continues to Manage Nationwide Crisis

OUR BUREAU
NEW YORK, NY
ew York City Mayor Eric Ad-
ams has released a compet-
Nitive Request for Proposals
(RFP) for companies and organi-
zations to provide shelter and shel-
ter-related services in response to
the asylum seeker crisis. The RFP
seeks to solicit a range of vendors to
support the next phase of the “Asylee
Flex” program, ensuring continuity
of operations and enabling the city
to find additional efficiencies and
reduce costs while diversifying ven-
dors and subcontractors through the
competitive bidding process. The ad-
ministration has already saved nearly
$2 billion in asylum seeker spending
by helping put migrants on a path to fective manner,” said Chief of Staff fective, humanitarian site inventory ships with hotels, engaging with and
self-sufficiency with intensified case Camille Joseph Varlack. “By diver- and services across multiple hotels in maintaining open lines of communi-
management while still reducing the sifying vendors and subcontractors New York City and certain counties cation with key stakeholders, as well
household per-diem costs of provid- through this process, we not only en- upstate. The program has been op- as providing shelter, food, house-
ing care. sure continuity and efficiency but also erating for 10 months and currently keeping, security, case management,
“Since April 2022, more than reaffirm our commitment to fiscal re- serves thousands of migrants across laundry, and the coordination of
200,000 migrants and asylum seek- sponsibility. This initiative will enable 26 hotel sites, including approximate- additional services with no addition-
ers have come to our city, seeking a us to meet the evolving needs of the ly 2,400 migrants across 13 sites in al fee including legal, reconnection,
better life for themselves and their thousands of people in our care while New York City, and 1,600 migrants travel, education, and donations.
loved ones and needing our care,” optimizing resources to deliver essen- in 13 sites located upstate. Most of Since this asylum seeker hu-
said Mayor Adams. “We’ve put care tial support to those seeking refuge in the current program participants manitarian crisis began, New York
and compassion first throughout our our city.” are families with children who are City has taken fast and urgent ac-
response, and, as a result, no families “Since the beginning of this glob- enrolled in local school districts and tion — caring for more than 203,000
with children have been forced to al humanitarian crisis, we have acted connected with local resources. migrants and asylum seekers and
sleep on our streets — an incredible to do our part providing shelter, food, The new RFP requires potential opening more than 200 emergency
accomplishment and a testament to health care, and a range of other vendors to submit executive summa- shelters to provide a roof over their
the hardworking public servants, con- services and supports to individuals ries of their qualifications, detailed heads.
tractors, and community-based orga- and families seeking asylum in New plans of action, references, and bud- The city has also stood up nav-
nizations that are on the ground man- York City,” said Deputy Mayor for get proposals, including detailed pric- igation centers to connect asylum
aging this crisis. We have also been Health and Human Services Anne ing information on staff members, seekers with critical resources; en-
managing the fiscal impact of this Williams-Isom. “All along the way, shelter locations, and operations. It rolled tens of thousands of children
crisis, having already achieved near- we have tried to find efficiencies and also includes a 30 percent minority- in public schools through Project
ly $2 billion in cost savings thanks to move toward a response that is more and women-owned business enter- Open Arms; and launched the Asy-
the creative thinking of our dedicat- sustainable. This RFP will allow us to prise subcontractor utilization goal. lum Application Help Center, which
ed workforce. The RFP we’re putting take a wider look at providers in this The proposals will be evaluated for has already helped submit more
out today will help us find even more space and continue to evaluate how cost, experience, proposed approach, than 55,000 applications for asylum,
savings, making sure we get the most we are allocating resources to find and organizational capacity, and work authorization, and temporary
out of every taxpayer dollar.” additional cost savings and process awarded contracts will be for up to protected status. Last August, May-
“As we face the ongoing chal- improvements.” one year in length. or Adams hosted “The American
lenge of providing critical shelter Since May 2023, the city aug- The selected vendor, or vendors, Dream Works” — a rally with hun-
and services to asylum seekers, the mented its response to the influx of will be expected to provide services at dreds of asylum seekers, union mem-
release of this RFP will bolster our arriving asylum seekers with the ad- existing sites, and possibly additional bers, business leaders, and elected
‘Asylee Flex’ program and help de- dition of the “Asylee Flex” program, sites as directed by the city. The scope officials calling for expanded work
liver compassionate care in a cost-ef- which quickly added scalable, cost-ef- of work includes managing relation- authorization for asylum seekers.

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