![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1762796172_283_Row-Hotel-School-Bus_0888-2.jpeg\")
A school bus drops off students at the Row Hotel on 8th Avenue between W44th and W45th Street. Photo: Catie Savage<\/p>\nThe Row Hotel, Hell\u2019s Kitchen\u2019s last remaining emergency migrant shelter, is scheduled to close by December 31 \u2014 months earlier than previously announced \u2014 and families are being moved out with as little as 24 hours\u2019 notice, according to testimony at this week\u2019s Manhattan Community Board 4 (MCB4) Housing, Health & Human Services Committee meeting.<\/p>\n
A school bus drops off students at the Row Hotel on 8th Avenue between W44th and W45th Street. Photo: Catie Savage<\/p>\n
Josephine Ishmon, Co-Chair of CB4\u2019s Arts, Culture, Education & Schools (ACES) Committee, told board members that she learned the closure \u201chas been moved up,\u201d and that the Row \u2014 originally slated to wind down operations in April 2026<\/a> \u2014 will now shut its doors before the end of the year.<\/p>\n Ishmon said families inside the 1,331-room hotel are receiving abrupt instructions to vacate. \u201cFamilies are being given notices that they have to leave the facility within 24 to 48 hours \u2014 they\u2019re given two garbage bags and a MetroCard,\u201d she said, and added that Department of Homeless Services staff are on site but that there are \u201conly 100 beds left in Manhattan,\u201d meaning many families may be sent to shelters in other boroughs.<\/p>\n However, Maria Ortiz \u2014 Co-Chair of the MCB4 Housing, Health & Human Services Committee \u2014 noted that some had received more warning. \u201cFamilies are actually being given about three weeks\u2019 notice,\u201d she said, adding that one family she spoke to had been notified to leave by December 17. \u201cThey were told the shelter was closing later\u2026 but yes, now it\u2019s December 31.\u201d<\/p>\n The accelerated timeline is already having an impact. Ishmon said approximately 17 families had been required to leave the hotel in recent days, with eight to 10 families expected to depart each day this week, and 20 to 25 families per day the week after, as the city works to empty the building by December 31. \u201cThey\u2019re just trying to clear the place out\u2026 and they\u2019re not really giving a reason why this is happening in such an expedited way,\u201d she told the committee.<\/p>\n The instability is particularly concerning for local schools. Ishmon pointed out that 89 students from the Row attend PS 51, representing nearly a quarter of the school\u2019s enrollment. \u201cThis is a very big issue,\u201d she said, adding that the principal hopes to keep as many students as possible at their current school for continuity during a disruptive time.<\/p>\n Ishmon described the conditions surrounding the move-outs as chaotic and harmful. \u201cQuite honestly, this is just disgraceful, the way that these families are being treated,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are talking about mental illness and homelessness \u2014 and this is where it begins, because these families are just being treated so disrespectfully.\u201d<\/p>\n She also raised concern about immigration enforcement activity around the hotel<\/a>. \u201cICE is all over the place, and these families are leaving the shelters with their garbage bags,\u201d she told the board.<\/p>\n Ishmon urged the city to ensure safer, more orderly transfers for families who choose to relocate within the DHS system. \u201cIf a family decides that they want to stay in a DHS shelter, then they should be provided transportation in a DHS van to the new location \u2014 at least they\u2019ll be safe from getting arrested,\u201d she said. She added that in previous relocations, some families arrived at shelters only to be told no beds were available, a situation she said MCB4 wanted to prevent from recurring.<\/p>\n The board voted to send a letter requesting an emergency meeting between DHS, Health + Hospitals and the Department of Education to coordinate placements for remaining Row families \u2014 keeping children close to their schools whenever possible.<\/p>\n More information is expected at Monday evening\u2019s MCB4 ACES Committee meeting, where the accelerated closure of the Row and its impact on students will be discussed in greater detail. The hybrid meeting \u2014 held from 6:30 to 9pm today at 353 W30th Street \u2014 is expected to include updates from school leaders, advocates and city agencies<\/a>, as well as next steps for families still living at the Row.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the Mayor\u2019s Office told W42ST last night (Sunday) that the administration continues to wind down emergency migrant sites as the number of asylum seekers in the city\u2019s care declines. In the administration\u2019s previously released statement \u2014 which City Hall reaffirmed \u2014 officials noted that more than 206,000 migrants have exited the shelter system and many newcomers have chosen to relocate elsewhere with the City\u2019s travel-assistance program, with Texas emerging as one of the most common destinations. The spokesperson added that families who still require shelter will be reassigned within the DHS system as operations at The Row wind down.<\/p>\n W42ST has reached out to Health + Hospitals, DHS and Highgate, which operates the hotel, for comment on the accelerated timetable.<\/p>\n![\"Josephine](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/DSC_0401-Josephine-Ishmon.jpg\")
Josephine Ishmon, Co-Chair of CB4\u2019s Arts, Culture, Education & Schools Committee. Photo: Phil O\u2019Brien<\/p>\n![\"Row](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/101625_row_hotel_arrests-1.jpg\")
Immigration enforcement agents detained people near a Midtown migrant shelter on October 16.\u00a0Photo:\u00a0Obtained by THE CITY<\/p>\n