‘We’re Just Tired’: Asylum Seekers at a Brooklyn Shelter Struggle With Hunger
New immigrants say meager meals from a shelter operator and police harassment are leaving them with few ways to feed themselves.
Chris Gelardi · July 31, 2024
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/A_kKCK9u13cMgeTr5JR3-jRPAI5fuAPE35Jh245v1mc/w:820/h:547/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9ueS1jb21tb24tcGFudHJ5LWJ5LWVkd2luYS1oYXktNDk0MS5qcGc.jpg)
Food pantries in Brooklyn can provide groceries, but asylum seekers say they can't use them: The shelters where they stay don't allow bringing outside food onto the premises. | Edwina Hay/Hell Gate
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/ER-C01N1T5pCT48DCWh9P5WNCxdLR44_fxu2Ne2bj30/w:820/h:546/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9JTUdfMjU5MS5KUEc.jpg)
Many asylum seekers rest at the Bushwick City Farm, which offers shade and a library, among other amenities.
| Chris Gelardi / New York Focus
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/llyFfIOlR6yk-ELLNkPVBM-YpFTWIOKRZ3KfVCzpCyU/w:820/h:461/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9Gb29kLUNvbGxhZ2UucG5n.png)
New immigrants have passed along photographs of the meals they say were provided at the Jefferson Street shelter.
| Courtesy of Bushwick City Farm
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/aNCCVPDQ4uiwQ7lLGjbmfUFPh1q0M5QoQsUpDaCfqEA/w:820/h:461/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9kYmViZTRhYS0xYTc5LTQyMWEtODZkOS04YmUyMmM1Y2FiYTYuanBlZw.jpeg)
The city Department of Housing Preservation and Development says it has revamped the catering setup at the Jefferson Street shelter.
| New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/Jiz7cb5q0zW4RFLcg-KBEmeUCLPWp222d2PQzu1GuYE/w:135/h:190/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:90/f:jpg/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9ueXNmb2N1cy9DaHJpcy1HZWxhcmRpXzIwMjMtMDQtMjEtMDU1MDQxX3huc3QuanBn.jpg)
Chris Gelardi is a reporter for New York Focus investigating the state’s criminal-legal system. His work has appeared in more than a dozen other outlets, most frequently The Nation, The Intercept, and The Appeal. He is a past recipient of awards from Columbia… more