Right to Shelter 2023

Dear Mayor Eric Adams,

As New York City’s healthcare workers, we see that housing and health are inseparable. No medical therapy we provide can improve the health of unhoused patients without the safety and security of permanent housing. Recently, New York has become home to many new individuals and families arriving from Latin America, West Africa, and other regions around the world. Many have been uprooted by economic instability, inhospitable climate conditions, and/or political upheaval, some of which are direct products of US intervention in their native countries. The trauma experienced by these individuals, many of them children, warrants mental health treatment. Unfortunately, rather than working to provide these new arrivals with the resources and care needed to start anew, our administration has elected to propagate xenophobic rhetoric, calling the crisis one of migrants and not one of housing. In particular, we believe that the recently enacted 60-day limit on shelter for single adults—and the new even harsher 30-day limit—are cruel and counterproductive. Physical, mental, and financial health can only be effectively built on a base of secure housing, towards which shelters are an imperfect but critical first step for many. We strongly urge you to reverse this policy and instead commit resources towards expanded housing access for both new and existing shelter residents.

Although not a permanent solution, city shelters have been a critical service for our community. In FY2022, single adults required on average at least 16 months in shelters before transitioning forward, primarily due to a lack of safe, affordable housing options or a robust infrastructure to support pathways to permanent housing. The increased number of new arrivals in recent months has made starkly clear the inadequacy of our city’s current housing services. With hundreds of migrants already having been forced to sleep on the streets, the new shelter stay limits will further burden already understaffed city housing services as they struggle to process current shelter residents alongside new migrants. Additionally, we believe that this undermines New York City’s right to shelter under the 1981 Callahan consent decree, which has enabled our city to provide compassionate care for so many who have desperately needed it. Furthermore, limiting shelter access would disproportionately affect people with trauma, mental illness, and need for recovery-based solutions, thereby significantly worsening the very problems related to homelessness and mental illness that the administration has been vocal about solving. The 60-day and now 30-day limit does nothing to improve our housing crisis. It instead exposes more vulnerable community members to health hazards as they become unsheltered and furthers the notion that new arrivals are not welcome in our city.

Your administration currently has the means to enact transformative policy to address the current housing crisis, even while continuing to seek state and federal assistance. Instead of cycling unhoused New Yorkers between the streets and shelters, we can take steps to break the cycle and move more shelter residents into affordable permanent housing. We echo the recommendations of the Coalition for the Homeless and the Legal Aid Society to better address the urgent housing needs of both recently arrived neighbors and existing shelter residents.

We, New York City’s healthcare workers, cannot stand by while our patients’ health and safety are compromised by lack of access to adequate housing. We emphatically oppose the 60-day and now 30-day limits on shelter stays, which exacerbate our current crisis, and strongly urge you to instead invest in steps toward safe, affordable housing for everyone who calls New York City home.

In support of our old and new neighbors,

Your healthcare workers

CC:

New York City Council Speaker Adrienne E. Adams

New York City Council Member Shahana Hanif, Chair of the Committee on Immigration

New York City Council Member Diana Ayala, Chair of the Committee on General Welfare

Signers’ affiliations are included to show breadth and strength of support. Unless indicated, signatures reflect only the views of the individuals and do not in any way represent the views or official positions of their institutions.

1. Isabel Sturla, MD, Family Medicine Resident Physician

2. Lauren Roddy, MD, Family Medicine Physician

3. Victoria Ngo, MD, Institute for Family Health

4. Jodell Cherubin, MD

5. Sayeeda Chowdhury, MD

6. Valerie Moscoso, DO, Resident Physician, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

7. Jesse Cole, MD, Mount Sinai Hospital

8. Jessica  Quinn, MD, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

9. Samantha Glass, MD, Assistant Professor, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

10. Brittany Jacob, MD, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

11. Chinemere  Ekezie, MD

12. Maria Gervits, MD, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

13. Andrea Maritato, MD, Community Physician in Harlem, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

14. Brianna Michael, MD, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

15. Lindsay Blevins, Psychologist, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

16. Kristina Davila, Project Coordinator for Immigrant Health, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

17. Autumn Henry, Administrator, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

18. Victor Sta. Ana, MD

19. Caitlin Weber, MD, Family Medicine Physician in Harlem, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

20. Deborah Bernstein, MD, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

21. Claire Tatham, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

22. Mo Saba, Home Care RN

23. Moria Byrne-Zaaloff, MPH

24. Margaret Glausser, MD, Community PCP, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

25. Elizabeth Pine, MD, Family Medicine Resident Physician, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

26. Alison Stendbergh

27. Lauren Hollender, FNP, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

28. Karol Serafin, MD, Family Medicine Resident Physician, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

29. An Ba

30. Karen Soohoo, MD, Social Pediatric Resident Physician, Children's Hospital at Montefiore

31. Kathryn Tanner, FNP, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

32. Jayleecia Smith, MD, Resident Physician, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

33. Radeeb Akhtar, MD, Residency Director, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

34. Seshat Mack, MD, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

35. Yasmin Hashemi, DO, Family Medicine Attending, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

36. Chloe Chaudhury, MD, MPH, Family Medicine Resident Physician, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

37. Joe Li, DO, MPH, Primary Care Physician 

38. Diana Perez, MD, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

39. Elisa Wallman Jacques, MSW, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

40. Anna Pang, FNP, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

41. Ginger Gillespie, Physician Medical Director, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

42. Joanne Tomasello, The Institute for Family Health, Mount Sinai Hospital

43. Adam Eldahan, DNP, Family Medicine, 

44. Christina  Hwang, MD, Montefiore Medical Center

45. Adithya Sivakumar, MD, Pediatrics Resident Physician, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore

46. Elizabeth  Messineo, MD, MPH, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore

47. Katherine Floess, MD, Resident Physician, Montefiore Medical Center

48. Astrid G, FNP, Institute for Family Health

49. Rebecca Capasso, MD, New York County Psychiatric Society (signing on behalf)

50. Hudson Lee, MD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

51. Winston Guo, MD Student

52. Nakul Karandikar, MD-PhD Student, Executive Director for the Weill Cornell Community Clinic, Weill Cornell Medicine

53. Victoria Lawless, MD-PhD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

54. Erika Glaubitz, MD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

55. Tin Dang, MD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

56. Taylor Brashear, MD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

57. Sanam Bhatia, MD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

58. Monica Acosta, MD-PhD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

59. Nadia Khan, MD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

60. Jenn Sugijanto, MD Student, NYC-DSA Immigrant Justice WG (signing on behalf), NYCASH (signing on behalf), Weill Cornell Medicine

61. Sonali Iyer, MD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

62. Maressa Cumbermack, MD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

63. Nicole Palmer, MD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

64. Noey Boldizsar, MD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

65. Daniel McInerney, MD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

66. Helen Xu

67. Varshini Gali, MD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

68. Tonatiuh Gonzalez, MD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

69. Paul Young, MD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

70. Elizabeth Benitez, MD-PhD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

71. Isabel Murray, Weill Cornell Medicine

72. Andrew Lee, MD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

73. Carlos Rico, MD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

74. Brieann Sobieski, MD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

75. Nila Uthirasamy, MD Student

76. Serena Zampino, MD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

77. Amanda Ramsdell, MD, Hospital Medicine and Addiction Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine

78. Maeve Givens, MD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

79. Laura Kolbe, MD, Hospital Medicine Attending Physician, NYP-Weill Cornell

80. Monika Safford, MD, Weill Cornell Medicine

81. Fangfei  Zheng, MD, Hospital Medicine Attending Physician, Weill Cornell Medicine

82. Peggy Leung, MD, Primary Care Physician and Clinician Educator, Weill Cornell Medicine

83. Nekee Pandya, MD

84. Riana Jumamil, MD, Internal & Preventive Medicine

85. Christina Ramasami, Nurse Practitioner, Weill Cornell Cardiology 

86. Elijah Douglass, MD, Hospital Medicine Attending Physician, Weill Cornell Medicine

87. Anqi Zheng, MD, Primary Care Attending Physician, NYP-Weill Cornell

88. Puja Chebrolu, MD, Weill Cornell Medicine

89. Judy Tung, MD, Weill Cornell Medicine

90. Shira Sachs, MD, Weill Cornell Medicine

91. Deborah  Herdan, RN MSN, The Jewish Board 

92. Tanping Wong, MD, Weill Cornell Medicine

93. Emily Taylor, MD, Weill Cornell Medicine

94. Andrew Goldstein, MD, NYU School of Medicine 

95. Aparna Raghu, MD Student

96. Kathleen Walsh, MD, Hospital Medicine Attending Physician, NYP-Weill Cornell

97. Rebecca Berger, MD, Weill Cornell Medicine

98. Shaun Kohli, MD Student, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 

99. Daniela Daniela, MPH, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 

100. Elizabeth De La Rosa

101. Sean McCoy, MD Student

102. Cameron Ormiston, MD Student, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 

103. Jessica Yang, MD Student, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 

104. Melissa Blum, MD Student, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 

105. Anya Wang, MD Student, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 

106. Jamia Saunders, MD

107. Neha Saini, DO, Physican

108. Anna Lichtiger, MD, Montefiore

109. Mackenzie Mitchell, MD Student

110. Nikita Israni

111. Monica Feeley, MD Student, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

112. Aidan Pillard, MPH, Mount Sinai

113. Lucy Greenwald

114. Walter Jacob, MD Student, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

115. Madeline Villalba, MD Student, 

116. Elizabeth Singer, Mount Sinai Human Rights Program (signing on behalf), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

117. Renee Tung, MD-PhD Student, Columbia University

118. Zachary Gallin

119. Anita Amin, MD, Resident Physician, Montefiore

120. Anna Rose, MD Student, Columbia University

121. Annie Liu, MD-PhD Student, NYU GSOM

122. Mikayla Gordon Wexler, MD Student

123. Gabrielle Wimer, MD Student, Columbia VP&S

124. Amarachi Okorom, MD Student, Icahn School of Medicine

125. Ashley Brown, MD Student

126. James Uhrig, MD, Atttending Physician, Correctional Health Services NYC H+H

127. Katherine Oram, PhD, Private Practice Provider

128. Anna Martens, MD Student, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

129. Hana Flaxman, Weill Cornell

130. Betty Kolod, MD, MPH

131. Isabelle Sillo, MD Student, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

132. Emma Gugerty, MD, Internal Medicine Resident Physician, Montefiore Medical Center

133. Giang Ha, MD, Montefiore Medical Center

134. Michelle Yi, MD, Internal Medicine Resident Physician, Montefiore

135. Sandhya Kumar, MD, Primary Care Provider in Shelters / Street Outreach

136. Katherine Panushka, MD, OBGYN Resident Physician, Albert Einstein School of Medicine and Montefiore Hospital

137. Oni Blackstock, MD, MHS, Executive Director, Health Justice

138. Gillian Wright, MD Student, Columbia University

139. Uché Blackstock, MD, Advancing Health Equity

140. Renee Tung, MD-PhD Student, Columbia University

141. Shane Solger, MD, City Hospital Resident Physician

142. Isuree Katugampala, MD, General Pediatrics Attending Physician

143. Annie Liu, MD-PhD Student, NYU GSOM

144. Anuj Rao, MD, Health and Hospitals

145. Nneoma Adaku, PhD, MD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

146. Mariya Masyukova, MD, MS, Physician, Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine

147. Sarah Wozniak, MD Student, Weill Cornell Medicine

148. Jillian Keegan, MD Student, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

149. Tsion Tmariam