Help End Harmful Shelter Evictions

We’ve been calling fellow BJ members to mobilize support for a city bill to end harmful shelter evictions. Read on to see how you can help in under five minutes! 

Right now, asylum seekers in New York City are facing eviction from their shelters after just 30 days, forced to move around endlessly and pointlessly from one shelter to another, disrupting their lives and stability.

Intro 210, a city council bill introduced by Councilmember Shahanna Hanif, would end shelter evictions and protect the right to shelter for all. We are asking you to call your City Council members to support Intro 210-2024. We know that calls like this can make a difference!

As Jews, we know the struggles of immigrants. BJ has been partnering with other neighborhood groups to offer programs and services for newly-arrived New Yorkers staying in shelters on the Upper West Side, fostering a sense of community, connection, and belonging through dinners, Know Your Rights programs, legal clinics, and clothing drives. Through these initiatives, the BJ community has supported and come to know so many of the families impacted by these harmful shelter eviction policies.

Steps for taking action:

1. Check if your council member is already listed as a bill sponsor

• If you are a constituent of Council members Julie Menin (council district 5) or Keith Powers, skip to step 2!
• Not sure who your council member is? Find your council member here.

2. If your council member is not signed on to the bill, please call their office to ask them to sign on!

• Council Member Keith Power’s Office: 212-818-0580
• Council Member Julie Menin’s Office: 212-860-1950

Here is a sample script you can use:

“Hi, My name is                   and I am a constituent of [name of your council member]. I am calling because I would like to see my council member sign onto the Intro 210 bill to end shelter evictions.”

You can also add in any of your own thoughts on why supporting this bill is important. For example, you might say something along the lines of: “I believe that new arrivals to New York deserve to be treated with dignity and care. Intro 210 will enable both new and longtime New Yorkers living in shelters to keep their children in a stable school, remain indoors in dangerous weather conditions, find stable employment and have the necessary time to find permanent housing.”

3. Have some more time? Spread the word about Intro 210 and share this page with your neighbors, friends, and colleagues!

If you have questions, or want to get more involved in our advocacy efforts around Intro 210, email Kiana.