Notes

Homeless in New York. This summer, authorities in NYC began evicting migrants from the city’s shelter system. While New York State is the only U.S. state recognizing a universal right to shelter, New York City is facing an overwhelming capacity crisis—with some 64,300 migrants in tents, hotels, and dormitories—that’s forcing it to restrict this right: Adult migrants who can’t secure any exemption will now only get 30 days of shelter—or if they’re young adults, 60 days. More and more are now sleeping rough—on streets, in parks, or on the subway.

And it isn’t just New York: Massachusetts also began evicting migrants this month. Meanwhile, California’s Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered local officials to close homeless encampments across his state. And the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that local governments may ban people from sleeping outdoors. Of course, the problem is that people who sleep outdoors would like to sleep indoors but can’t.

The context for all of this is 2023’s historic spike in American homelessness, now accounting for more than 650,000 people. As Dennis Culhane explains, roughly three-quarters of the newly homeless are from an influx of migrants over the southern border. Which Texas’ Governor Greg Abbott responded to by ordering tens of thousands of migrants bussed to other parts of America—including New York City. In total, more than 200,000 migrants have passed through the city’s shelter system since early 2022. With fewer crossing the border now, that system is now a little less strained than it was at its peak in January—but not much less.

—Gustav Jönsson