TESTIMONY
Venezuelan Migrants on Challenges Accessing Food, Social Services, and Employment
3:02:22
·
9 min
Venezuelan migrants, represented by a language interpreter, share challenges in accessing social services and employment.
- Venezuelan migrants struggle to access sufficient food in shelters and job opportunities despite holding work permits.
- They express frustration with the government's focus on transitioning people out of shelters within 30 days without adequate support.
- Testimony highlights the urgent need for employment opportunities to achieve independence from shelter life.
- Migrants seek more substantial government assistance to navigate their new lives in New York City.
UNKNOWN
3:02:22
We are both migrants from Venezuela.
3:02:35
We're here because we have issues with the system that are very obvious.
3:02:50
We've come to our government because we are struggling and we need assistance.
3:03:05
Because we're migrants and we only have a certain amount of 30 days.
3:03:09
Before we can leave.
3:03:27
He's saying he has his social security already, but he's not able to find a job, and he needs more support.
3:03:35
And he's not getting it in order to actually get on his feet.
UNKNOWN
3:03:41
Well, my life in a in a egalacia.
UNKNOWN
3:03:54
He's saying the food in the shelters is not sufficient, and they have to go to the churches to get food.
3:04:12
So today, they decided because they're not getting enough food to come to city hall and coincidentally, today we were talking about this issue and there was a protest outside
UNKNOWN
3:04:25
roll
UNKNOWN
3:04:25
out this issue.
3:04:40
He's saying coincidentally, he spoke to one of the people in the protests outside, and he was like, because of Destiny, you we we're having this city council meeting and you can speak your issues here.
3:04:58
Right now today.
3:05:19
They he migrated here and they are urgently needing resources to mobilize him themselves.
UNKNOWN
3:05:50
Panoptoino.
UNKNOWN
3:06:27
And you guys understand.
3:06:28
But basically, instead of focusing on just getting people out within 30 days, focus on helping people be connected with job opportunities so that they can, in turn, leave the shelters because they have work to support themselves.
Diana I. Ayala
3:07:47
Yeah.
3:07:47
He's he's basically concerned he's basically annoyed with you know, because he the the the focus has been on transitioning people in and out of the shelter system within the 30 day timeline, and not enough effort has been put into ensuring that they are employed even when some of them actually do have the ability to work because he has his papers and hasn't been able to identify I work, but is looking for for work so that he can rent his own apartment and he can exit the shelter.
3:08:18
And so he would rather that the attention be on helping him do that as opposed to being laser focused on evicting him every 30 days.
UNKNOWN
3:08:46
Not Okay.
3:09:02
So, you know, I'm you
Gale Brewer
3:09:29
know,
Diana I. Ayala
3:10:13
implemented shorter.
3:10:41
To do today So, you know, basically, I think, you know, the gentleman just express, you know, a need for, you know, better food.
3:11:19
He's very appreciative for the food that is being given because it's better than none but it isn't, you know, enough.
3:11:26
Sometimes they get a little pack of cereal, piece of bread, And it's just, you know, nutritionally, it's not, you know, the the best meal for grown people.