{"id":2359,"date":"2023-03-01T18:12:53","date_gmt":"2023-03-01T18:12:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/press\/?p=2359"},"modified":"2023-03-01T18:12:53","modified_gmt":"2023-03-01T18:12:53","slug":"speaker-adams-nyc-council-and-philanthropic-foundations-announce-new-public-private-partnership-with-2-2-million-to-aid-community-based-organizations-supporting-asylum-seekers-and-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/press\/2023\/03\/01\/2359\/","title":{"rendered":"Speaker Adams, NYC Council, and Philanthropic Foundations Announce New Public-Private Partnership with $2.2 Million to Aid Community-Based Organizations Supporting Asylum Seekers and Communities"},"content":{"rendered":"

City Hall, NY \u2013 <\/strong>Today, Speaker Adrienne Adams was joined by her New York City Council colleagues, and several philanthropic foundations to announce a new public-private partnership to support the organizations assisting asylum seekers and communities in New York City. The $2.2 million dollar initiative, \u201cWelcome NYC,\u201d will fund organizations providing urgent legal services, workforce development, literacy programs, youth services, faith-based services, and food assistance across the City.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur immigrant communities are an essential part of the fabric of our city, and critical to who we are and our success,\u201d said Speaker Adrienne Adams<\/strong>. \u201cFrom the very beginning, our local non-profits and community-based organizations have stepped up to fill the gaps and shouldered the heroic work of supporting newly arriving people and families. Welcome NYC will help organizations on the ground providing support to asylum seekers, and our communities more broadly, with crucial services. As we continue to advocate for increased federal and state support, the Council will pursue comprehensive solutions to help migrants and all residents access health, opportunity, and safety. I thank our philanthropic partners and the entire Council for their hard work and partnership to launch this new initiative.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several major philanthropic foundations are collectively contributing $1 million towards the \u201cWelcome NYC\u201d initiative, including the Robin Hood Foundation, New York Community Trust, Bronx Community Foundation, New York Women\u2019s Foundation, and Brooklyn Community Foundation. The Council is allocating $1.2 million in Council funding to more than two dozen non-profit organizations providing crucial services on the ground to families, people seeking asylum in New York City, and local communities. On Thursday, the Council will vote on a transparency resolution designating this funding to specific organizations.<\/p>\n

The Council\u2019s $1.2 million allocation will fund the following groups:<\/p>\n

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\u201cEnsuring that asylum seekers have every resource necessary available to them to as they settle into their new lives in New York City is essential to making our city an inclusive place of opportunity for all New Yorkers,\u201d said Chymeka Olfonse, the managing director of Robin Hood’s Adults and House Supports grantmaking portfolio<\/strong>. \u201cWe are proud to partner with the New York Community Trust. and the nonprofit community to expand and strengthen legal services for asylum seekers in New York City.\u00a0 We commend the New York City Council for its commitment to funding workforce development programs, literacy services, mentoring programs, college awareness, youth leadership, social and educational programs, food services, and other programs that will empower migrant families to thrive in their new home city.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cImmigrants make our city stronger, yet their ability to become citizens is endangered because they have no right to counsel and often struggle to find trustworthy advice,\u201d said Eve Stotland<\/strong>, Senior Program Officer at New York Community Trust.<\/strong> \u201cThat is why The New York Community Trust is proud to join the Robin Hood Foundation and make a combined grant of $750,000 to UnLocal and invest in the City Council\u2019s Welcome NYC initiative to help immigrant New Yorkers successfully navigate today\u2019s complex immigration system. And we thank City Council for its long-term commitment to free legal services for immigrants across the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe congratulate Speaker Adams and City Council for their continued leadership in responding to the needs of all in NYC!\u201d said Ana L. Oliveira, President & CEO of the New York Women\u2019s Foundation<\/strong>. \u201cWith the recent influx of migrants and asylum seekers in NYC, our local, community-based organizations have stepped up to provide culturally and linguistically competent direct support for the most vulnerable, including women and families, LGBTQ+ individuals, survivors of violence, and young people. It is only fitting that philanthropy do the same! We are proud to follow the leadership of our Speaker and City Council. The New York Women\u2019s Foundation is grateful and proud to support those on the frontlines who are rapidly responding to this crisis and commits to add additional and focused funding to our partners in our communities, with our shared determination of a city that works for all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Bronx Community Foundation is proud to join Speaker Adams and the City Council to make sure the newest New Yorkers feel welcome and supported in our city,\u201d said Dr. Meisha Porter, President and CEO of The Bronx Community Foundation<\/strong>. \u201cThe Foundation has supported organizations providing access to critical resources, like healthy food, clothing, phones, and transportation, to new arrivals. But it is clear that we must do more. By harnessing the power of government and philanthropy, Welcome NYC will help us meet the needs of all asylum seekers arriving in New York City.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs our city continues to welcome a new wave of New Yorkers, we want them all to feel supported and part of the fabric of our communities,\u201d said Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, President and CEO of Brooklyn Community Foundation. <\/strong>\u201cThat belonging is made possible through the work of grassroots nonprofit organizations, many of which we support through our Immigrant Rights Fund. Our partnership with the City Council on Welcome NYC will help drive critical additional funding across our city, and especially Brooklyn, to bolster nonprofit lifelines and help them deliver essential services to those navigating uncharted roads.\u201d<\/p>\n

Local non-profits and community-based organizations have shouldered the work of supporting new arrivals \u2013 from distributing warm, weather-appropriate clothing, food, and basic supplies, to coordinating transportation. Over the past year, Council Members and Council staff have met with organizations and service providers delivering support in communities throughout our city. The organizations have repeatedly conveyed the specific gaps that exist in services, and the need for resources and support to help fill them.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery New Yorker seeks information and resources from trusted advisors \u2014whether that\u2019s a community-based organization, religious institution or a teacher,\u201d says Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition<\/strong>. \u201cThe Welcome NYC initiative recognizes the vital role these trusted sources play in the lives of all people, but especially for asylum seekers and other immigrants who also need the benefit of cultural and language fluency to help integrate into and navigate their new home. We commend Speaker Adams, the New York City Council, and partnering foundations for ensuring that our newest neighbors can seek help from people they trust in their own communities. It was clear from the moment when the first buses arrived at the Port Authority that giving asylum seekers a proper New York welcome would take the participation of all levels of government, nonprofits, charitable organizations, and all New Yorkers. Welcome NYC takes us one step closer to truly living up to New York\u2019s potential of being a welcoming beacon for all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the past year, nearly 50,000 asylum seekers have arrived in New York City prompting an urgent crisis in finding housing, clothing, food, and other basic necessities for them. United Way of New York City launched the Emergency Assistance and Community Needs Fund to help community-based organizations provide these needs to our newest New Yorkers. We applaud Speaker Adrienne Adams for her leadership and value our partnership in the Welcome NYC campaign. The investment will help ensure that we will be able to further assist our pantry partners in providing nutritious and culturally relevant foods for asylum seekers,\u201d said Grace Bonilla, President and CEO, United Way of New York City<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur city is sustained by immigrants. And it has been community-based organizations rooted in our immigrant communities that have been on the frontlines addressing their needs,\u201d said Jo-Ann Yoo, Executive Director of the Asian American Federation. <\/strong>\u201cWe\u2019re grateful that Speaker Adams and this City Council are taking a leadership role in making sure our newest New Yorkers are getting what they need.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe New York City Employment and Training Coalition applauds Speaker Adams and the City Council for recognizing the urgent need to support new arrivals and asylum seekers with the skills and resources they need to thrive as New Yorkers,\u201d said Gregory J. Morris, CEO of the New York City Employment and Training Coalition<\/strong>. \u201cNew York is a city of immigrants who arrived here to find the work and opportunity they couldn\u2019t find elsewhere, whether they\u2019ve been here for a few weeks or a few years. We help keep that promise of a better life and stronger communities for all New Yorkers by investing in the workforce development programs and creating strong talent pipelines, bringing us closer to a more inclusive and equitable New York City.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since last spring, New York City has welcomed more than 47,000 people seeking asylum in the United States. More than 29,000 people remain in the City\u2019s care, primarily in 88 emergency shelters and seven Humanitarian Emergency Relief and Response Centers (HERRCs). The Council has sought to identify and propose constructive solutions, including:<\/p>\n