Over the past year, New York City saw the sudden arrival of over 100,000 migrants and asylum seekers. Amidst an affordable housing crisis in our city, over 57,000 of these new arrivals to NYC are entering the shelter system, looking for urgent services and trying to find their footing. And now, the Committee for Hispanic Children & Families (CHCF) is stepping up its efforts to defend and support these vulnerable New Yorkers.
In collaboration with Housing Works, CHCF is opening a new office at the Best Western Hotel in Long Island City, Queens, where almost 100 migrant families are living full-time. From this location, CHCF will be able to provide legal services, material support, and social service work on-site. As a grassroots organization with over 40 years of work among immigrant populations in NYC, this next expansion will put CHCF on the ground to meet the upcoming needs of the expanding migrant population.
“The arrival of new immigrants to our community will only be a ‘crisis’ if we fail to act,” said Ramon Peguero, President & CEO of CHCF. “That’s why CHCF needs to be on the front lines: so that we can meet this need head-on, and welcome a new generation of immigrants with the support they need to thrive.”
From July through September, the Social Services team will be immersed in the community of asylum seekers, surveying their needs and preparing the children living out of the hotel for their first school year in NYC. The support for this programming comes from a generous grant from Housing Works, a non-profit that has fought homelessness in the city for over thirty years and the NYC Department of Homeless Services. With their support, CHCF will be able to hire additional staff to support the migrant families in Long Island City.
“Since our beginning, Housing Works has provided comprehensive services to underserved communities in NYC,” Housing Works CEO Charles King said in regard to this collaboration. “We believe providing stable housing and holistic healthcare are the initial steps to living a long and healthy life. Since their arrival, asylum seekers have been facing homelessness and limited access to healthcare. Our goal at Housing Works is to provide these essential services to those seeking asylum, knowing that these basics will allow them to not only live well but to also make their own vibrant contributions to the life of our City.”
To learn more about our work, follow along with CHCF at https://www.chcfinc.org/.
