Affordable Housing and Asylum Navigators

In which borough should your idea take place? Manhattan

Do you have a specific neighborhood(s) in mind?

Lower East Side, Chinatown

Which audience(s) does your idea help? Select as many as apply.

Youth

Parents

Justice impacted individuals

Limited English proficient individuals

Low income individuals

Black, Indigenous, and POC

Older adults

Unemployed individuals

Immigrants and/or migrants

Public housing residents

People with disabilities

Describe the challenge you want to address:

"We have been witnessing an influx of immigrants into the city, many of whom are not English-speaking and have difficulty navigating the city’s resources, whether that be public benefits assistance, housing, employment, education, childcare, healthcare, and more.

Navigating the social/public services is difficult as is, but it’s exponentially more difficult when you don’t speak English. Specifically, understanding the opaque affordable /public housing process and asylum process are key obstacles for immigrant families.

This is therefore a challenge for immigrant families to be able to enjoy a healthy and supportive city."

Describe your idea and approach to address the challenge:

"A Manhattan-based initiative that trains specialized navigators and volunteers to assist new immigrants in understanding the affordable housing and asylum seeking process.

Navigators are also embedded in schools, hospitals, and other essential institutions, positioning them to identify kids and families in need of advocacy.

While the program operates independently, it collaborates with existing housing and asylum agencies, ensuring a streamlined process without altering city policies or staff numbers"

Write the zipcode that best represents your New York City community:

Virtual