New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) Commissioner Manuel Castro last Wednesday, Nov. 30, announced an additional eight Asylum Seeker Resource Navigation sites that will be opened across the five boroughs in an effort to continue supporting newly arrived individuals and families seeking asylum.
Adams said eight community-based organizations have been chosen and granted $2.1 million to run these sites that will build on the ongoing work of the city’s first Asylum Seeker Resource Navigation Center operated by Catholic Charities of New York.
“The city’s first Asylum Seeker Resource Navigation Centers has served nearly 7,000 individuals since opening a few short months ago, and I’m proud to expand the footprint of this important work across all five boroughs to support the asylum seekers arriving in our city every day,” said Mayor Adams.
“In partnership with these eight community-based organizations, these additional centers will help support the more than 26,000 asylum seekers who have arrived here in New York City with a range of services including legal assistance, medical care, and school enrollment,” he added.
“New York City will continue to do all we can to meet our moral and legal mandates and welcome and support asylum seekers arriving here, and these sites will play an important role delivering critical services directly to families and individuals who need them,” Adams continued.
“Throughout the city’s response to the asylum seeker crisis, we have worked in partnership with community-based organizations,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “Today’s announcement builds upon that work and offers additional layers of support for individuals and families seeking a new home in New York City. Thank you to our partners who will continue to serve asylum seekers at satellite locations in all five boroughs.”
“New York City has led the nation’s response to the influx of asylum seekers, launching the first Asylum Seeker Navigation Center,” said MOIA Commissioner Castro. “Today, we take another stride forward by announcing several community organizations that will serve as satellite sites across the five boroughs to support our new neighbors. Through this effort, our administration will continue to lead with care and compassion and empower our newest New Yorkers with resources and services.”
The mayor said the selected organizations will provide individuals and families with in-person support — in Spanish and in other languages — including a variety of supplemental services, comprehensive case management and immigrant rights workshops.
The selected organizations are: Aid for Aids International; African Communities Together (ACT); Catholic Charities Community Services, Archdiocese of New York; Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services Brooklyn & Queens; Coalicion Mexicana; La Colmena; Mercy Center
Mixteca Organization; and New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE).
The city’s first Asylum Seeker Resource Navigation Center — located at the American Red Cross of Greater New York headquarters — will continue to operate on weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and provide individuals and families with in-person support.
Services at the navigation center and Catholic Charities sites will be available by appointments and walk-ins are accepted in all other locations.
Appointments can be made by community-based partners and certain city agencies, including city shelter staff. Since this humanitarian crisis began, the city has — largely on its own — taken fast and urgent action, managing the arrival of a rapidly increasing number of buses across New York City with virtually no coordination from states sending them — opening 57 hotels as emergency shelters and three humanitarian relief centers already.
“Expanding access and resources for those seeking asylum is important as we work to ensure newly arrived immigrants are welcomed with dignity and respect,” said Beatriz Diaz Taveras, executive director, Catholic Charities Community Services.
“Catholic Charities of New York is excited that we can continue our partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, and extend our reach through 11 impactful organizations that will help to support this incoming population,” she added. “As an extension of our work at the Asylum Seeker Resource Navigation Center, these satellite sites will help to provide much-needed on-the-ground case management services in all five boroughs.”
“The immigrants coming to New York seeking asylum and inclusion are diverse and include significant numbers of West Africans and other Black migrants,” said Amaha Kassa, executive director, ACT. “New York’s African immigrant communities are already welcoming these new New Yorkers into our mosques, churches, and community centers. ACT is proud to partner with the city on the Asylum Seeker Navigation Center to provide them with greater support and stability.”
“NICE connects new immigrants and asylum seekers to essential services, including health and safety trainings daily, but we cannot address the increasing need of this community alone. We’re thrilled to partner with the city of New York and other vital organizations to provide holistic and essential wrap-around services to our newest New Yorkers as a satellite site for the new Asylum Seeker Navigation Center,” said Diana Moreno, executive director, NICE. “Together we can ensure our new neighbors are welcomed with the dignity and respect they deserve.”
