Monroe County Executive Adam Bello has issued an Emergency Order over the state's migrant crisis.
His order bans any shelter or hotel from housing migrants, unless an Emergency Housing Plan is approved by the Monroe County Department of Human Services.
Bello says his order ensures any migrants brought into the county will have adequate shelter and services in place.
And he says the county is already dealing with an emergency housing shortfall for homeless people.
A similar order was issued in Albany County today.
Statement from County Executive Adam Bello:
Like many communities across our state and country, Monroe County is facing a housing crisis, with an unprecedented shortage of emergency housing available to support individuals experiencing homelessness. Monroe County’s Department of Human Services works daily to address these shortfalls, but continues to face difficulties in identifying adequate emergency housing and providing supportive services to those in need of such housing. Recently, New York State declared a State Disaster Emergency as a result of an expected surge of migrants seeking shelter, and we expect any surge locally will exacerbate our housing shortages and put a strain on our support systems in place.
As County Executive, my first priority is to attend to the safety and wellbeing of everyone within Monroe County. Other municipalities, whether inside or outside of New York State, transporting busloads of migrant families to a hotel within our community without a plan in place to support them, is not fair to our residents, and is not fair to the migrants who would be housed here. Clear communication and coordination is essential if we are to navigate this situation successfully, which is why I have had a continued dialogue with the Governor’s Office, her Commissioners, as well as fellow County Executives across the state facing the same challenges, including Albany County Executive Dan McCoy.
Today, County Executive McCoy and I are both issuing similar Executive Orders relating to the housing and migrant crisis that is affecting every community. The order here prevents any hotel, motel, shelter, or other multiple-dwelling unit from entering into a contract with any municipality or entity to provide emergency shelter unless an Emergency Housing Plan is submitted to the Monroe County Department of Human Services and receives approval. This plan must demonstrate that arrangements have been made to ensure any individuals brought to Monroe County will receive adequate housing and necessary support services, and have their fundamental needs met for the duration of their stay.
Monroe County welcomes people from all over the world. This Emergency Order does not prevent migrants from coming to Monroe County while they await resolution of their legal asylum application. Rather, it ensures that if migrants need to be housed here, it is done so in a thoughtful way with a reasonable plan in place to protect everyone involved.