Former Harlem Jail to House Migrants Following Governor OK

Over the past week, neighbors started seeing activity at Lincoln Correctional Facility, an former jail in Harlem -- a state facility that Gov. Kathy Hochul gave the OK Sunday to temporarily house migrants.

"I think it's important to give people a safe place to live and if people are coming seeking a better life. I think we should take care of them. I think it's good," Simon Vozick-Levinson, of Harlem, said.

Around 70,000 asylum seekers have shown up in NYC within the last year, and the mayor says hundreds more arrive everyday.

NBC New York spotted a state correctional car in the front and a security guard at door of the facility that will soon house migrants.

Residents told us they've also seen workers haul in large amounts food and water. However, Some people are uneasy about the changes.

"As we ride through here we see so many homeless people. Why isn't the city taking care of the homeless people who are already here," Robert Avery, of Harlem, said.

This building that will temporarily house migrants has a long history. At one point it housed the Young Women’s Hebrew Association. U.S. troops stayed here during World War II, and the New York City Schools used it too.

Meanwhile, the outside still has glaring signs from its most recent past. Like the caged-in area at the top.

It is still unclear when and how migrants will move in.

However, city representatives say families with children will not be housed here.