COVID-19 United States Project #47457

Relief for NYC's Refugee Families

by Children's Aid

Project Report | Dec 3, 2021
What We Provided With Your Gift This Year

By Danny Stern | Annual Giving Officer

With nearly $4,000 raised to provide COVID-19 relief to refugees over the past couple years, we’ve been able to make a real difference for youth who have come to New York City for a better life. This past summer and fall, our social workers had conversations directly with our youth in foster care who have a variety of protected or undocumented statuses (refugee, special immigrant juvenile, etc.). Together, they identified investments that would provide relief during these trying times and help them achieve their goals as they establish independent lives in America. We wanted to share a few examples of the recent impact you made with your gifts:

CAREER GOALS

Gilberto* received no formal education in his native Honduras, where he grew up in extreme poverty. He entered the United States as an unaccompanied minor and was caught by border patrol agents who detained him in an ICE detention facility at the southern border. He eventually ended up in our foster care program, where he works with social workers to address trauma and PTSD from various hardships he has endured. He’s now mapping out a future career plan. He has expressed a passion for creating music, and his social worker wants to cultivate that spark. Thanks to your generosity, his social worker, Caroline, got him a laptop that he uses to create music, and he is now building up his portfolio so he can pursue his music dreams.

WARM CLOTHES FOR WINTER

Jessica* moved to America for a better life. Unfortunately, the guardian she was staying with kicked her out of her home, leaving Jessica to fend for herself. She ended up in Children’s Aid’s foster care program. When the weather started getting colder this fall, Jessica didn’t have enough warm clothing to last her through the winter. She turned to her social worker, Jalen, who was able to fill that need thanks to the funds you provided.
A FITNESS OUTLET

Yusef* had a hard time adjusting to the isolation during the most difficult days of COVID-19. When he was stuck inside, he began to engage in unhealthy routines like not exercising or participating in social outlets. He also wasn’t communicating with his social worker like he used to. Even as the restrictions lifted, Yusef was having a hard time getting back into the swing of things. His social worker, Daniel, had an idea: Why not get him a bike to draw him back out of his shell? He provided Yusef with a bike, and it incentivized him to get outside and establish a healthier routine — and that’s exactly what he’s doing.

These are just three of the many protected-status or undocumented youth whom you helped during these challenging times, and their lives are better because of it. Moreover, they were touched by your generosity – you don’t know them personally, but you gave to them anyway. Thank you.

*This is an alias name used to protect the privacy and security of our non-citizen youth, but all other details of the support and background are factual.

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Jul 4, 2021
The Staff Behind the Refugee Success Stories

By Danny Stern | Annual Giving Officer

Director of Therapeutic Foster Care Julie Kaplan

The saying goes that it takes a village to raise a child. But when that child is a refugee or a special immigrant juvenile (SIJ), it takes a much bigger and more fortified village.

Julie Kaplan is one of hundreds of Children’s Aid social workers who provide care and support to our children and youth in foster care. Her specific program is called “Therapeutic Foster Care,” which helps young people with severe emotional difficulties or mental health concerns. Due to the traumatic nature of what refugees and SIJs endure, oftentimes they are placed in her program.

“Many of our refugees and SIJs are from Latin America, and escaped gangs, violence, abuse, and extreme poverty for a better life in America,” Julie explained. “Recovering from trauma and adapting to a new foster home is always a very bumpy road. Then you add the legal hurdles involved in their pathway to citizenship, and then COVID-19, and it’s too much for one person to handle.”

Social workers like Julie are trained to provide the counseling necessary to help young people cope with emotional needs, including their past hardships, and more recently, from COVID-19 challenges. They also go the extra mile to help youth with their legal needs as they endure the arduous process of obtaining legal paperwork. “The sheer amount of logistics in attaining citizenship is really taxing, but we have learned over the years — and continue to learn — how to navigate through the maze of bureaucracy and successfully advocate for our youth,” Julie said.

Some days, Julie and her team conduct mock interviews with youth to prepare them for their meetings with immigration agents. Other days, she pours through and completes hundreds of pages of paperwork and legal forms, and makes sure the “i”s are dotted, and the “t”s are crossed. “Missteps can cause months-long delays, and that can really cause a lot of stress and heartache to a youth who just wants to have some stability after enduring so many years without it,” said Julie.

“It’s all worth it once you get that phone call — the one when the youth sounds ecstatic, belting out, ‘Ms. Julie, I finally got my legal papers!’ Those moments are the ones I always cherish and they’re why we continue to push forward.”

Thank you for helping to create moments like these through your support of our refugee youth. We wouldn’t be able to do it without the generosity of friends like you.

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Feb 16, 2021
When Hardships Compounded, the Sotos Weren't Alone

By Danny Stern | Donor Relations Manager

When refugees come to New York City, one of the most promising aspects of life here is the wide array of opportunities. But when COVID-19 swept the city, those opportunities were replaced by continuous hardship.

Mr. and Mrs. Soto* have three children, one of whom is a 1-year-old enrolled in our home-based early childhood program. The father was the sole provider, and was working in a restaurant to support his family. Due to COVID-19, he lost his job, and the family found themselves in a financial pinch.

Then, by late April 2020, the father contracted COVID-19. He thought the virus had subsided because he had a mild experience with the disease, but soon after, he woke up with swelling and a lot of pain in his legs. He had not been eligible for medical insurance, so he did not seek medical attention immediately. After some days with his condition worsening, he went to the hospital where he was admitted for several days. Thankfully, he was able to make a recovery and was eventually released.

Then, the medical bills came.

The family is Spanish speaking and needed help interpreting the bills and navigating the payment process, which Children’s Aid was able to provide. We also walked the family through the process of applying for financial hardship assistance from the hospital, and helped them discover that Mr. Soto was actually eligible for emergency Medicaid coverage.

With all of the extra expense and disruption, the family did not have enough money to afford food. The family received emergency food assistance from our pandemic relief efforts, and was able to get through this hard time knowing that they were not alone. They continue to receive educational services for their youngest through our early childhood program.

Thank you for supporting families just like these, reminding them that New York City is, and always will be, a place where opportunity is never out of reach.

*An alias name and picture are being used to protect the safety and security of our clients.

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