UWNYC‘s Emergency Assistance and Community Needs Fund (EACN) supports community-based organizations working with asylum seekers.
New York City, (April 10, 2023) — In 2022, a surge of buses from the states of Texas and Arizona began arriving in New York City carrying asylum seekers seeking safe-haven and shelter. An estimated 50,000 asylum seekers have moved through the City’s intake system since last spring and, currently, New York City is providing a place to stay for more than 30,000 asylum seekers–more than any other city in the nation.
The City quickly convened trusted partners, including United Way of New York City (UWNYC), to help meet the needs of the newcomers. As nonprofits and community-based organizations across New York worked together to help the new arrivals establish themselves in their new home, UWNYC has been helping them bridge gaps in funding and resources with a new fund previously announced in Fall 2022.
“When our partners asked us to help provide support for asylum seekers, we opened our United Way of New York City Emergency Assistance and Community Needs (EACN) Fund,” said Grace Bonilla, President, and CEO of United Way of New York City. “The generous response from foundations, corporations, and private donors which has raised nearly $780,000 to date has enabled us to deploy resources to community-based organizations offering emergency relief to families and individuals in a dignified way.”
Now, UWNYC has announced a second round of funding for 10 organizations working with asylum seekers in neighborhoods across New York City. These grants are made possible by supportive funders like Trinity Church of Wall Street, Share Our Strength, Airbnb and dozens of generous individuals.
“We are proud to support the work of the United Way of New York City to help care for those who seek asylum in the Empire State,” said Theo Yedinski, Global Director of Public Policy, Airbnb. “Our donation builds on Airbnb’s efforts to help those in need in New York, from providing accommodations to frontline workers during the depths of the pandemic, to supporting Airbnb.org’s programs housing Afghan refugees in Buffalo.”
Below are comments on the impact of this funding from the new round of recipients.
“The funding we recently received from United Way of New York City supports our migrant family relief efforts in the midst of an immigration crisis. We absolutely need this support to accommodate a 60% increase in attendance at our food distributions. Our creative, socially driven organization runs a community center in Brooklyn that is open 40 hours a week. We applaud the flexibility and generosity of United Way of New York City, so that our team can continue to provide consistent food while simultaneously redistributing thousands of donated clothing and household items for free every month.” – Briana Calderón, Migrant Outreach Coordinator, Collective Focus.
“86 the Barrier’s breakthrough peer-to-peer ENL [English as a New Language] programming being so generously funded by United Way of New York City means that we are not only able to provide free English language learning to these families in dire need–we get to work alongside them as they start their new lives in New York with deserved dignity. As the founder of 86 the Barrier, I could not be more grateful to our roster of incredible educators for their care and work, the team at the Chinese American Planning Council for their support and guidance, and United Way of New York City for making it possible for us to do this work.” – Joanna Carpenter, Founder, 86 the Barrier
“All children, regardless of their immigration status, have the right to attend school in New York City. With funding from United Way of New York City, Advocates for Children of New York will help recently arrived immigrant families navigate the public school system and access a quality education for their children.” – Kim Sweet, Executive Director, Advocates for Children
“We are thrilled and honored to be a recipient of the United Way of New York City, Emergency Assistance and Community Needs Fund to help asylum seekers. Over the past year, Bridge Street Development has offered ‘one stop shop’ support services to asylum seekers who arrived in Brooklyn. The EACN Fund is a critically important resource that will help bridge our funding gaps and enable us to continue to meet the needs of asylum seekers who come to Central Brooklyn over the next year.” – Gregory Anderson, President & CEO, Bridge Street Development Corporation
“At Mixteca, we are deeply grateful to receive the EACN grant. This significant contribution will allow us to provide essential resources, address mental health needs, and foster community support. Overall, it will provide critical resources and support to those who are often fleeing persecution, violence, and other forms of hardship. With this funding, asylum seekers will have a better chance of rebuilding their lives and finding a sense of safety and security in their new communities.” – Lorena Kourousias, Executive Director, Mixteca Organization, Inc.
“The grant from United Way of New York City is truly a lifeline for Community Help in Park Slope. We never turn anyone away without food, but we have been struggling to serve the many asylum seekers now coming to our doors, more than doubling our numbers served compared to a year ago. Thank you!” – Sandra Hagan, LMSW, Interim Executive Director, Community Help in Park Slope, Inc.
“I commend United Way of New York City for understanding that asylum seekers have gone and are going through physical and mental trauma and need additional supportive services. These funds will help us enhance the plethora of services that we would otherwise not be able to offer these families, ensuring stability for them as well as the communities welcoming them in.” – Ramon Peguero, President and CEO of The Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, Inc.
“St. John’s Bread and Life is thrilled to join with United Way of New York City in assisting and supporting those who are newly arrived. This grant will allow us to serve individuals and families in need of food and other basic necessities.” – Caroline Tweedy, Executive Director, St. Johns’ Bread and Life, Brooklyn, NY
“Vision Urbana, Inc. has been on the front lines throughout COVID-19 working closely around food security and digital training for Spanish speaking residents of the Lower East Side. Vision Urbana has been seeking resources to activate its newest community center on E 4th Street, which can now begin scheduling ESOL classes as a result of receiving this award from United Way of New York City. Vision Urbana is proud to partner with United Way of New York City by providing additional services during this historic time in NYC for our newly arriving migrant communities.” – Eric Raymond Diaz, Executive Director, Vision Urbana, Inc.
“This grant will be used to train migrants on how to work safely on a job site, since there are many casualties when they are not trained properly and comply with OSHA standards. We thank UWNYC and the executives for helping our organization to extend a hand to our community from Queens and Brooklyn in need.” – Walter Sinche, Executive Director, Alianza Ecuatoriana Internacional
Grace Bonilla concluded, “United Way of New York City has a proud tradition of responding quickly and effectively to situations such as the arrival of asylum seekers. For 85 years, we have been helping New York City through some of its toughest emergencies like September 11th, Hurricane Sandy, and Covid-19. We are always here to help take care of our City, including our newest residents.”
To learn more about UWNYC’s EACN Fund or to contribute, please click here.
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About United Way of New York City
For 85 years, United Way of New York City (UWNYC) has been at the forefront in the fight to ensure New Yorkers live with dignity no matter their zip code by taking on the toughest challenges and creating new solutions to old problems. We win by helping families shift from barely surviving to thriving. We unite by mobilizing the best ideas, relevant data, internal and external experts, and resources. UWNYC maximizes impact by coordinating and aligning service providers, companies, local government, and New Yorkers to help families eliminate barriers and gain the agency to improve their lives for the better. To learn more, visit United Way of New York City’s website