Congressman Dan Goldman, Congresswoman Diana Degette, Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo Lead Call for Immediate Distribution of Shelter and Services Program Funding

Shelter and Services Program Funding Critical to Supporting New York City's Efforts to Care forIncoming Migrants 

Nearly 190,000 Migrants Have Come to New York City Since Spring 2022 

Read the Letter Here

Washington, DC – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10), Congresswoman Diana DeGette (CO-01), and Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo (CO-08) today led 29 members of Congress in calling on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to swiftly distribute funding from the Shelter and Services Program (SSP).

“Utilizing SSP funding, which provides direct assistance through grants, border and interior communities across the nation have been afforded a critical lifeline as they care for asylum seekers, many of whom are families with children,” the members wrote. “Because approval of the final fiscal year 24 spending package was significantly delayed, the last FY23 SSP award was allocated in September of last year. Since then, impacted communities have faced difficult budget decisions to cover the unmet need.

“We urge your prompt assistance to ensure timely release of federal funding to augment the efforts provided by states, cities, and nonprofits across the country,” the members concluded.

The SSP was created in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY23 to provide communities in the United States with the funding necessary to care for newly processed asylum seekers once they are released from federal custody. The SSP provides communities and NGOs direct assistance through grants, rather than subjecting them to a lengthy reimbursement process. Through direct grant assistance, which is disbursed upfront, state agencies and NGOs will be able to better plan for securing and maintaining shelter space, providing orientation services, and arranging transportation – creating a vastly superior alternative to submitting reimbursement requests and waiting to be repaid.

Impacted border and interior communities have faced difficult budget decisions in continuing to provide vital support for a humane response through safe housing and access to appropriate social and legal services forasylum seekers. It is critical FEMA expeditiously distribute SSP funding to state and local entities so our communities can continue to support their newest arrivals.

To date, New York City has received approximately $180 million from the federal program, including a nearly $40 million tranche that was announced last week. New York City currently has over 64,000 migrants in its care, with nearly 190,000 having come through the City’s intake system since Spring of 2022.

Congressman Dan Goldman has repeatedly pushed for increased funding for the Shelter and Services Program to assist New York City’s response to the influx of asylum seekers.

In April of 2023, Congressman Goldman and Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) led a group of 25 Representatives in calling for $800 million in funding for the newly established Shelter and Services Program (SSP) in the FY24 federal budget.

In May of 2023, the Congressman called on Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Criswell and Regional Administrator Warrington urging the swift disbursal of the remaining $360 million of the newly authorized Shelter and Services Program (SSP). These funds are used to support local government and nonprofit organizations in New York sheltering migrants and supporting related activities.

Read the letter here or below:

Dear Administrator Criswell:

We appreciate the Federal Emergency Management Agency announcing the application deadline for the first round of fiscal year 2024 (FY24) Shelter and Services Program (SSP) funding and urge you to expeditiously release the funds as quickly as possible. We understand funding for SSP under four FY24 continuing resolutions (CRs) was available on a pro rata basis, but no allocation was made during the CR period.

Utilizing SSP funding, which provides direct assistance through grants, border and interior communities across the nation have been afforded a critical lifeline as they care for asylum seekers, many of whom are families with children. Because approval of the final FY24 spending package was significantly delayed, the last FY23 SSP award was allocated in September of last year. Since then, impacted communities have faced difficult budget decisions to cover the unmet need.

We appreciate President Biden’s request of $1.4 billion in SSP funds for FY24 through his annual Budget Request and as part of a supplemental appropriations package he requested in October 2023. However, the actual financial need for border communities and interior cities is much greater. In fact, a bipartisan group of mayors in the United States Conference of Mayors sent a letter to Congress indicating “considerably more funding than this” is necessary, while a smaller group of mayors have stated the true need is approximately $5 billion. Accordingly, we will work with our Congressional colleagues to secure additional SSP funding both as part of the FY24 supplemental and in the FY25 appropriations process.

Additionally, we ask the administration to broaden the eligibility criteria for SSP funding to allow new applicants to be eligible for future SSP funding disbursements. This expansion in the allocation process will allow new non-profit agencies and religious organizations in cities serving migrants to access the necessary resources to support these arriving individuals and help with the increased demand for care.

We urge your prompt assistance to ensure timely release of federal funding to augment the efforts provided by states, cities, and nonprofits across the country. Thank you for your consideration.

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