PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Rachel Kang, Director of Intervention Services at Korean American Family Service Center (KAFSC)
2:35:01
·
138 sec
Rachel Kang, representing KAFSC and the collective coalition, testified on the challenges faced by immigrant survivors of gender-based violence in accessing shelter services and benefits in NYC. She highlighted issues such as language barriers, lack of cultural sensitivity, and difficulties in finding affordable housing after shelter.
- KAFSC provided safe housing and support to over 200 survivors last year and operates a 24-hour multilingual hotline.
- Kang urged the city to increase funding for DV shelters serving immigrant communities to improve language access and cultural competency training.
- She recommended strengthening partnerships between city agencies and community-based organizations to ensure timely and comprehensive support for survivors.
Rachel Kang
2:35:01
Good afternoon.
2:35:02
My name is Rachel King, director of intervention services at the Korean American Family Service Center, and I'll be testifying today on behalf of KFSC and the collective, a coalition of gender based violence organizations serving immigrant communities that also includes Saki for South Asian survivors, southeya 2 center for African women and families, violence intervention program, and woman kind.
2:35:25
KFSC is dedicated to empowering immigrant survivors of gender based violence through comprehensive services.
2:35:31
Last year alone, KFSC provided safe housing and support to over 200 survivors, and we provide a 24 hour multilingual hotline.
2:35:40
Last year, VIP also sheltered 117 adults and 147 children.
2:35:45
While we commend the city for recognizing the ongoing needs for language access and shelters, the reality is that many GBB survivors are still struggling to obtain shelter and benefits due to language and cultural barriers.
2:35:58
Some of the obstacles that immigrant survivors and our staff face includes inconsistent availability of interpreters and cultural sensitivity training for shelter staff, steep challenges in finding affordable housing after shelter, survivors who are ineligible for subsidies and benefits facing homelessness, and obtaining timely responses from city agencies during urgent situations such as seeking immediate DV shelter placements.
2:36:22
We urged the city to increase its funding for DV shelters that serve immigrant communities to improve both language access and cultural competency training.
2:36:31
There have been positive changes at Sunnet Debris shelters as well, including the collaboration with health and hospitals, which has resulted in shelter residents being able to access mental health care for themselves and their children, and we encourage the expansion of this program.
2:36:46
We appreciate council members council member Ayala's efforts to increase awareness of how many and how often survivors are exiting shelter through the 2 new DV shelter reporting bills.
2:36:56
Currently, DV shelter's DV shelter providers report to OCFS on denials and admissions, but not on exits.
2:37:03
We recommend strengthening partnerships between city agencies and community based organizations like the members of the collective to ensure that survivors receive timely, comprehensive support and are not left waiting for critical services.
2:37:15
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today, and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.
