FDNY Issues Vacate Notice for Migrant Shelter, 130 Men Put Out On Street
The repurposed building–which had formerly housed part of Touro College–was shut down as a migrant shelter for single men on Oct. 23, after the FDNY issued a vacate order due to a lack of a fire-alarm system. It had reportedly housed 130 asylum seekers.
| 30 Oct 2023 | 11:31
320 W. 31st St, which still bears a sign attesting to its previous use by Touro College, has been shut down as a migrant shelter for single men after the FDNY issued a vacate order. (
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An FDNY vacate order at 320 W. 31st St., which was serving as a migrant shelter. (
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The FDNY has proclaimed that 320 W. 31st St. is unsafe to enter. (
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An October 23 vacate order was issued for 320 W. 31st St. due to fire safety violations, reportedly resulting in 130 asylum-seekers being pushed out. The building–which formerly served as part of Touro College–had been transformed into an ad-hoc migrant shelter for single adult men. It is unclear how many of the displaced men secured alternative lodgings before the eviction.
The notice on the front door stated that the FDNY “has determined that conditions in this premises are imminently perilous to life in case of fire.” It further noted that reentry to the premises is “prohibited until such conditions have been eliminated to the satisfaction of the Fire Department.” To that end, a security guard was posted at the entrance on October 24.
More paperwork stuck to the building elaborated that owners had failed “to provide [the] required fire alarm system with at least one-way communication.” The order, served at 12:50 p.m., went into effect five hours later. It was addressed to Overtime Properties, an LLC ostensibly overseeing the shelter.
The FDNY told Chelsea News that it was redirecting inquiries on the vacate order to City Hall. Overtime Properties could not be reached for comment as of press time.
Kalya Mamelak, a spokesperson for the mayor, offered a statement on the shelter closure: “Asylum-seekers have undergone long and arduous journeys before arriving in New York City, and we are committed to keeping them safe while staying at emergency shelters. When identifying emergency sites, we work with agencies to ensure we are taking the proper fire protective measures.”
Notably, the now-defunct shelter was the site of an October 17 kerfuffle between one of Mayor Eric Adam’s aides and the building’s security staff (it is unclear if the guard watching the premises on October 24 was present for that incident). Two guards were arrested shortly after Timothy Pearson, a retired precinct captain and longtime friend of the mayor, reportedly became heated due to being denied entry to the building.
Different accounts of what transpired that day have since been passed around. Charles Lutvak, another spokesperson for the mayor, claimed that Pearson was conducting a spot check on the shelter before being “accosted” by contractors. Meanwhile, The CITY reported on an eyewitness account indicating that Pearson had attempted to shove his way inside. He also allegedly threatened the jobs of the assembled contractors, proclaiming that “after today” they would be out of work.
More than 130,600 asylum seekers have made it to NYC since last spring. The city administration has estimated that about 4,000 migrants are now arriving weekly. Mayor Adams has also limited shelter stays for single men–such as those that were staying at the W. 31st St. location–to 30 days.
Adams has also said that he is considering providing tents for migrants, which the city will erect.
“If the flow continues at 3-4k a week, we are going to have to use draconian measures,” Adams claimed in an interview with Bloomberg News. “Our goal is to find ways not to get to that point, but I would be dishonest if I said it is not on the table.”