32-20 Northern Blvd., where the HRA’s Refugee and Immigrant Job Center has been relocated. (Google Maps)
July 19, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez
The city has relocated a center aimed at helping refugee and immigrants gain employment to Northern Boulevard in Long Island City.
The Human Resources Administration’s Refugee and Immigrant Job Center now operates out of 32-20 Northern Blvd., moving from its prior location at 88 Third Ave. in Brooklyn.
The center provides an “improved client experience,”with array of support and services to refugees and immigrants with the final goal of attaining self-sufficiency, the HRA said.
The Northern Boulevard building is closer to several public transportation options, and is outfitted with an array of in-center tools to help applicants gain access to benefits that will help get refugees on their feet, the agency said.
“At a time when the message from the federal government is that immigrants are not welcome, we reiterate our commitment to serving all New Yorkers who qualify for assistance and to making that service as easy and convenient as possible,” said Department of Social Services Commissioner Steven Banks. “Relocating the Refugee and Immigrant Job Center gives clients access to many of our recent self-service improvements at a location that is easy to reach.”
The building already includes a family services call center and a SNAP benefit center, and is outfitted with self-service check in kiosks and document scanners. The HRA says staff will assist clients with casework and employment plans, help them apply for benefits and cash assistance, and create online accounts for better tracking.
Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer said the new location sends the message that “immigrants and refugees are welcome here.”
“This new center is located in the heart of our diverse City – Queens. As we fight to protect every immigrant and refugee from a hostile administration in Washington D.C., we need to make sure that we have the ground work and infrastructure that is ready to provide services necessary to aide in the success of all.”
The center is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/hra.
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39 Comments
Yes, JVB, New Yorkers DO welcome refugees and immigrants who come here LEGALLY. “Undocumented” came here ILLEGALLY! I DON’T want my hard earned tax dollars paying for services for ILLEGALS. I can’t afford the services they are receiving for free, for members of my own family. There are many taxpaying citizens who are in need of an array of support and services. Why isn’t JVB assisting taxpayers apply for benefits and cash assistance? I know of senior citizens who need assistance. Vets who need assistance. 9/11 workers who need assistance. JVB is “protecting” these “immigrants and refugees from the “hostile” administration in Washington, D.C. ? What a joke! The “hostile” administration” WON the election!! How about putting the “undocumented/ILLEGAL ALIEN” issue on a ballot, let the U.S. vote on the issue and put an end to all this nonsense.
One of the best answers I have heard. Let’s put it on the ballot. Only the Dumb-O-cratic cities (most sanctuary cities) want this BS. Unfortunately the Dems are in big cities with many Illegals. They may win a popular vote but would never win a electoral college vote.
Dems won the popular vote in the last presidential election, and one the electoral college vote in the TWO elections prior.
Wow you’re completely misinformed as usual.
I am for open immigration but that sign we have on the front of the Statue of Liberty, ‘Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses…,’ can’t we just say, ‘Hey, the door’s open, we’ll take whoever you got’? Do we have to specify the wretched refuse? I mean, why don’t we just say, ‘Give us the unhappy, the sad, the slow, the ugly, people that can’t drive, that they have trouble merging, if they can’t stay in their lane, if they don’t signal, they can’t parallel park, if they’re sneezing, if they’re stuffed up, if they’re clogged, if they have bad penmanship, don’t return calls, if they have dandruff, food between their teeth, if they have bad credit, if they have no credit, missed a spot shaving, in other words any dysfunctional, defective slob that you can somehow cattle-prod onto a wagon, send them over, we want ’em.’
ICE should set up offices right next door. Oops, I guess advocating for enforcing immigration law makes me a racist. Oh well.
FRANK–I agree with you . Whomever is putting up all the dislikes and favoring Illegals. I say you want them, you pay for them. To me you are anti-American. Help people in this country first. Help NYC Housing people. A Federal judge said recently that NYCHA is so bad, it may not be fixable. That is sad. Did you see in Sunday’s Daily News article how Bloomberg when he was Mayor had forged tenant signatures on repairs that were never done in NYCHA. NYCHA also schedued repairs when people would be at work with no second visit scheduled to clear a 420,00 case backlog. Bloomberg should be indicted for this and anyone else involved.
Favoring illegal immigrants is anti-American? That would make Trump anti-American for favoring illegal immigrants by employing them in all his developments, and marrying one that worked here illegally.
Everyone should remember Bill DUmBlasio made NYC an official Sanctuary City for Illegals. I guess we should expect help for Refugees & Illegals more than American Citizens. The American Citizens have to pay for it though. Does not sound fair to me.
NYC is fully cooperating with ICE and people get deported from New York all the time. Wow you know so little about this.
MIRONY–You know so little. NYC has suit against Washington. NYC loves ILLEGALS. READ Link. http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/national/new-york-city-and-state-file-lawsuit-over-grants-linked-to-ice-cooperation-20180719.
These democrats should start caring more about helping American citizens that elect them to office then these illegal immigrants that break laws by crossing the border illegal. TIME TO DEPORT ALL ILLEGALS BACK WHERE THEY CAME FROM AND VOTE DEMOCRATS OUT OF OFFCIE BECUASE THEY ARE SURELY BECOMING THE ANTI AMERICAN PARY!!!
Well said rick. Well said!
Wish “the city” was as interested in helping American citizen taxpayers as they are with helping “refugees and immigrants”…
They are human beings. Try not to forget that.
But Americans should come before illegals that broke the law by crossing the boarder illegally. Deport All Illegals!!!!
As usual the Trumpeters are so ignorant about immigration policy they can’t even spell “border” correctly.
You are the one who knows so little about Immigration policy. Trump only wants ILLEGALS out of the country. CNN and all Dumb-O-Crats and FAKE NEWS want you to believe he is against ALL IMMIGRANTS, which he is NOT.
I agree, Jay, but let’s face it: we can’t save the whole world. It is the responsibility of any nation to tend to the needs of its own native born citizens (and taxpayers) first.
American taxpayers are also human beings.!!!
Don’t forget that
I am guessing by the statement “Hostile Environment in Washington” JVB means that some of these are “ILLEGALS” for our sanctuary city of NY. Who is paying for these services? The Taxpayer? Probably. What if I don’t want my taxes to go towards this? I don’t care if they are Legal, but not for Illegals. I guess they figure it is better than another Homeless shelter. Banks and JVB along with all the FAKE media and DUmb-O-Crats forget that TRUMP is not against people who come here LEGALLY. He is against ILLEGALS. There is the that word the DUMB-O-CRATS always forget purposely to rile up and scare even the Legal ones. Wake Up people what the Dems are trying to do especially the far-left Socialist ones such as DumBlasio, Cynthia Nixon and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Eloquent as usual MRLIC.
We know Trump loves illegal immigrants because he employed so many of them building his luxury condos. In doing so he provided a huge incentive for them to come here. He even married an immigrant that worked here illegally in 1995 without a work visa. So being against illegal immigrants would make him a huge hypocrite!
I recently read that Trump only hired people with work visas only after Americans did not apply for jobs at his Golf resort and other places.
Wow you’re completely misinformed as usual.
This has nothing to do with Mar a Lago, but the building of Trump tower.
Trump paid a total of $1.375 million to settle Hardy v. Kaszycki, the lawsuit against him for using hundreds of illegal immigrants to build the tower.
It’s hilarious how little you know about the greedy luxury developer you helped elect.
I said this before the election. Is Trump a GOOD GUY ? Answer. NO. He is a businessman. He knew what was broken. Any other businessman would have probably done the same thing. He is now trying to change the status quo.He was the better choice over Clinton by far. You need to wake up and smell the coffee. You are just anti-Trump.
you are exactly right MRLIC.
Ignorant MRIRONNY
Trump does not hire anybody. If you have a little bit of brain should know that the construction business works only through “contractors” and they are the one who hire illegal aliens, because is cheaper labor. My friend is an illegal alien and works for a contractor who does work for the City of NY.
So does make the city an employer of illegal aliens.?Right now they are working for a hospital in NYC.!!!
Your mind will be blown when you realize that Trump paid those contractors.
Thank you for agreeing with me that he used hundreds of illegal immigrants to build his buildings, giving them a huge incentive to come here, making him a giant hypocrite.
BRAVO OLGA.
Let the Dems go as far left as possible. Watching them get eaten alive by the monster they have created is so much fun. If it keeps going like this, the will not be a national party by 2020.
Nixon’s the One!
And they can’t do the same thing for homeless because….?
Because any time the city tries to help homeless people, people with homes freak out and can’t handle it.
Jay…They should not put these shelters near areas with a lot of families. Crime does go up where these shelters appear. Did you not read about the Verve Homeless shelter at Queens Plaza, where a roommate tried to set the other roommate on fire? The Verve was a former Luxury Condo.
I wonder if other nations have the level of needy people as America seems to have. It’s endless.
This will somehow trigger the racists.
Favoring American citizens over foreign nationals is not “racist”.
They should call The Trump Organization, they love using illegal immigrant labor.
The FAKE MRLIC wrote the July 19, 2018 comment on The Trump Organization using Illegals. Ireadrecently Americans did not apply and only then did Trump issue work visas for people for employment
Is that why he paid over a million dollars to settle the lawsuit against him for using hundreds of illegal immigrant laborers?!
Wow you’re gullible.