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Gothamist A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC. Gothamist Listen Live Donate Gothamist A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC. Gothamist Listen Live Donate Gothamist A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC. Florida company gets $18 million contract for NYC migrant shower trailers FacebookTwitterRedditEmail Donate News FLORIDA COMPANY GETS $18 MILLION CONTRACT FOR NYC MIGRANT SHOWER TRAILERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Arun Venugopal Published Aug 14, 2023 27 comments -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Share FacebookTwitterRedditEmail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Never miss a story Email address By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms. Roy De La Cruz / Shutterstock -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Arun Venugopal Published Aug 14, 2023 27 comments -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Share FacebookTwitterRedditEmail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We rely on your support to make local news available to all Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2023. Donate today Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations A Florida-based company has been awarded an $18 million no-bid contract to provide emergency shower trailers for New York’s asylum seekers, a development that follows weeks of complaints from immigrant rights activists and elected officials about the absence of showers at shelters housing migrants. The one-year contract for Imperial Restrooms, a company headquartered in Hudson, Florida, is for shower trailers at “up to 10 sites” across the five boroughs, according to city records. The company did not immediately respond to questions about the contract. The lack of showers has been a point of contention between immigrant rights groups and city officials. Advocates and some asylum seekers contend that not having easy access to showers or toilets is dehumanizing, while officials have argued in return that the city is caring for nearly 60,000 migrants and that its systems are under constant strain. Mariel Acosta, a volunteer who has been assisting asylum seekers at a city respite center located at 359 Stockton St. in Bushwick, said a shower trailer has been in operation outside that site, but that shower trailers located at Hall Street in Brooklyn and at a hangar near John F. Kennedy International Airport are unreliable and that only five or six showers out of 34 at the latter location were open at the end of July. “A migrant from JFK for example, messaged us ‘They keep them more closed than open and the sign on the door says they should be open 24/7,’" Acosta said in a text message. Imperial Restrooms provides toilets and showers across the country, including for weddings, construction sites and emergency sites. The company, which formed in 2008, also caters to the film industry in New York. Theodore Moore, vice president of policy and programs at the New York Immigration Coalition, said “the mayor has gone to contracting with a lot of companies that are outside of New York.” “I do know that there are local options,” said Moore, pointing to Callahead, which bills itself as “New York’s largest portable sanitation company.” Requests for comment to Callahead were not returned. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Related stories Judge puts onus on state to respond to NYC migrant crisis after right-to-shelter violation Some migrants in NYC being shuffled upstate after being told there's no room here Tagged immigration new york city -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arun Venugopal Twitter Arun Venugopal is a senior reporter for the WNYC and Gothamist Race & Justice Unit who focuses on issues of race and bias in our region. His reporting also tackles the topics of immigration, faith, and inequality. Arun serves as the regular fill-in host of the station's "U.S. of Anxiety" program. Arun was the creator and host of Micropolis, a series about race and identity. He is a contributor to NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. He has appeared on PBS Newshour, On the Media and Studio 360, and has been published in The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal and Salon. He also frequently serves as an emcee and moderator of panel discussions on race, religion, and identity issues and has been a guest host of NPR's "Fresh Air." He lives with his family in Queens. Read more Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MORE news Man sentenced to prison for drunk driving crash that killed NYU student Michael DeGuzman pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and vehicular manslaughter earlier this year. By Samantha Max Published Aug 15, 2023 at 6:14 p.m. ET -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tent city for 1,000 migrants prepares to open at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens City leaders expect to welcome 100 migrants to the grounds on day one. By Arya Sundaram 10 comments News Tent city for 1,000 migrants prepares to open at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens City leaders expect to welcome 100 migrants to the grounds on day one. By Arya Sundaram 10 comments -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Man freed after 26 years behind bars sues NYPD officers who helped send him to prison By Samantha Max 4 comments Extra Extra: Mayor Eric Adams' hype man gets promoted By Emily Nadal 28 comments Mayor Adams, other elected officials, again denounce White House for migrant crisis response By Giulia Heyward 35 comments -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Never miss a story Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily. Sign upEmail address By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms. AdvertisingContact UsOur TeamRSS FeedDiversity (DEI)Careers Gothamist Gothamist is a website about New York City news, arts, events and food, brought to you by New York Public Radio. 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