The Civic Issue
At its peak, NYC sheltered 69,000 asylum seekers, overwhelming the existing shelter system and requiring emergency hotel contracts. The crisis is winding down — population dropped to 37,000, 62 emergency shelters closed, and the city projects $5.2B in savings as the last emergency shelter closes by end of 2026.
Headline Spending
$1,017,816,810
identifiable in budget
Budget Lines (Adopted)
$1.02B
8 lines
Vendor Spending
$1.67B
9 vendors
| Line | Adopted | Spent |
|---|---|---|
AF Asylum Shelter SHELTER INTAKE AND PROGRAM - OTPS | $100.0M | $6.0M |
Sanctuary FWC Shelters SHELTER INTAKE AND PROGRAM - OTPS | $669.4M | $774.6M |
Sanctuary SA Shelters SHELTER INTAKE AND PROGRAM - OTPS | $100.4M | $72.7M |
Sanctuary AOTPS SHELTER INTAKE AND PROGRAM - OTPS | $70.0M | $21.3M |
HOTELS (FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN) SHELTER INTAKE AND PROGRAM - OTPS | $77.5M | $9.0M |
Migrant PS SHELTER INTAKE AND PROGRAM - PS | $2.9K | $2.9M |
Asylum Seekers PS- Budget ADMINISTRATION - PS | $511.0K | $174.6K |
FINANCIAL PLAN SAVINGS-ASYLUM SEEKERS SHELTER INTAKE AND PROGRAM - OTPS | $0 | $0 |
| HANYC FOUNDATION INC | $517.9M | 1225 txns |
| ACACIA NETWORK HOUSING INC | $309.8M | 387 txns |
| SAMARITAN DAYTOP VILLAGE INC | $221.4M | 283 txns |
| BOWERY RESIDENTS' COMMITTEE, INC. | $140.1M | 256 txns |
| Westhab, Inc. | $135.9M | 265 txns |
| NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION FOR INTER-CULTURAL AFFAIRS INC | $128.2M | 194 txns |
| WOMEN IN NEED, INC. | $112.8M | 228 txns |
| HOME/LIFE SERVICES, INC | $101.3M | 231 txns |
| APOLLO HOTEL LLC | $1.2M | 9 txns |
Total Identifiable Spending
$1,017,816,810 adopted / $1,075,602,676 modified (dedicated migrant/asylum lines: AF Asylum Shelter + Sanctuary + Hotels + Migrant PS + Asylum Seekers PS)
The migrant shelter crisis has distinct, trackable budget lines — "Sanctuary" shelters (FWC and SA), "AF Asylum Shelter," and "Hotels" lines total over $1B adopted. HANYC Foundation Inc is the single largest DHS vendor at $518M, operating the hotel-based emergency shelter network. The adopted vs. modified gap tells the winddown story: AF Asylum Shelter was budgeted at $100M but modified DOWN to $70.6M with only $6M spent, and Hotels (Families with Children) dropped from $77.5M to $35.4M. The "Migrant PS" line shows the reverse — $2,896 adopted but $2.9M in actual cash spending, reflecting emergency personnel costs that weren't in the original budget.
The Sanctuary shelter lines serve both traditional homeless and migrant populations — they cannot be disaggregated. The $669M "Sanctuary FWC" line includes all family shelters operated by DHS nonprofit providers, not just migrant-specific facilities. The HANYC Foundation spending ($518M) is the clearest migrant-specific signal, as hotel sheltering was primarily used for the asylum seeker surge. Federal FEMA reimbursement for migrant costs is not visible in city expense data — the city has claimed hundreds of millions in reimbursement that would reduce the net city cost.
Key Context
NYC's migrant shelter crisis peaked at 69,000 asylum seekers in care, making DHS the city's second-largest agency by spending ($3.55B adopted, $3.88B modified). The winddown is visible in FY2026 data: "FINANCIAL PLAN SAVINGS" lines show -$7.4M adopted and -$62.5M modified in negative appropriations, reflecting expected savings as emergency contracts end. The "Manhattan Welcome Center" contract with Bronx Parent Housing Network ($42.5M) is the only contracts-table entry specifically naming migrant operations. DHS total FY2026 budget: $3.55B adopted, of which migrant/asylum-specific lines account for roughly $1.02B (29%).