Photo credit: Ed Reed
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) Commissioner Manuel Castro today announced an additional $1.65 million in funding for Fiscal Year 2023 to help newly arrived Haitian New Yorkers access immigration legal assistance and numerous social services. This funding is an increase from last year, bringing the total investment for New York City’s Haitian Response Initiative to $3.15 million. To mark the importance of this announcement a Haitian flag raising ceremony was held at Bowling Green near Wall Street in Manhattan.
“I am proud to be the mayor of the largest Haitian population in the United States and pleased to announce the additional $1.65 million in funding that’s being provided to help newly arriving Haitian New Yorkers,” said Mayor Adams. “These funds will provide much needed services and resources that the city regularly provides to all immigrant New Yorkers. As we raise the Haitian flag, we say today and every day, that we stand with our Haitian community and will always have their back.”
“New York City has and will continue to be a place of refuge for those who are escaping conflict. Our administration is committed to supporting New York City’s Haitian community in their time of need,” said MOIA Commissioner Castro. “We look forward to working with community groups serving Haitian New Yorkers that are located immediately within our city’s Haitian communities, to provide daily support and services to their fellow community members, including those who have recently resettled in New York City.”
The state of New York is home to the second-largest population of foreign-born Haitians in the United States. Through this initiative, community members will receive linguistically and culturally responsive case management, cash assistance, and support services directly and through referrals. They will also receive immigration legal assistance, such as comprehensive immigration legal screenings, removal defense, and help accessing asylum, Temporary Protected Status, and other humanitarian forms of relief. Additionally, the initiative includes a technical capacity building component in which immigration legal experts provide training to staff at coalition community-based organizations (CBOs), to help them better understand immigration-related requirements and timelines, and effectively pre-screen and refer clients for immigration legal services. Finally, the initiative will include a public information and education campaign, as well as interpretation and translation.
The following CBOs will continue to receive funding to provide case management, legal, and language services — building upon the work they have been conducting since the recent influx of Haitian migrants began:
• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York
• Caribbean Women’s Health Association
• Diaspora Community Services
• Flanbwayan Literacy Project
• Haitian Americans United for Progress (HAUP)
• Haitian American Community Coalition (HCC)
• Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees
• Life of Hope
The Research Foundation of the City University of New York (CUNY) will provide support with contract and fiscal administration, and CUNY Brooklyn College’s Haitian Studies Institute will consult with partners to ensure information and services provided through the initiative are culturally and linguistically responsive.
The initiative was originally launched in December 2021 to provide key services and support to Haitian New Yorkers impacted by the natural disasters and political upheaval that have transpired in Haiti.
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