Q&A
Enhanced casework and services provided to clients receiving 30/60 day notices
1:00:55
·
4 min
Dr. Ted Long provides a detailed explanation of the case management process and enhanced services provided to asylum seekers. He emphasizes the importance of individualized approach and listening to clients' stories and needs.
- Case management starts with hearing individual stories and addressing immediate needs
- Services include legal help, work authorization assistance, housing support, and behavioral health referrals
- The process has evolved based on feedback from clients and community organizations
- 42% more families with children are now leaving the shelter system each week compared to a year ago
Diana Ayala
1:00:55
The administration noted that clients that receive the 30 60 day notices would receive enhanced casework, to prepare for possible departure from the city's care.
1:01:03
Can you run through the services provided?
1:01:05
I think as you heard in the testimony, there was some discrepancy between sites.
1:01:09
So some, folks were only hearing from the caseworker prior 15 days prior to, the expiration of their time at that specific site, where some other expiration of their time at that specific site, where some others felt like maybe they had a little bit more interaction regarding other things like, you know, workforce development and and and and things, you know, similar to that.
1:01:30
But it that was kind of what the sense that I got from that panel.
1:01:35
Could you ex explain a little bit about the process?
Molly Schaeffer
1:01:37
Yeah.
1:01:38
I'm gonna turn it over to doctor Ted Long, but one thing I just wanna say is that we've worked really hard over the last year to make our case management process better and to hear from folks and really try to enhance the services we're given, including more legal connections, including more workforce connections.
1:01:55
But let me pass it over to doctor Long.
Ted Long
1:01:57
Yeah.
1:01:58
I appreciate the question.
1:01:59
And, I also just wanted to say with the, the speakers that came ahead of us here, I really appreciate hearing, their points of view as well.
1:02:06
I think it's really important as we talk about case work, and I, put my primary care head on here as I think about how we engage people and how we listen to people, To just zoom out for a second and going beyond the numbers, we had individuals sitting in front of us a few minutes ago.
1:02:20
I'm the primary care doctor for new arrivals, for asylum seekers, and I run sites for our new arrivals, our humanitarian centers for our new arrivals as well.
1:02:29
I spend a lot of time with them.
1:02:30
And I really want to make the point that case work starts with hearing everybody's individual story.
1:02:34
And, to use your words, Deputy Speaker, people have not only had a harrowing journey here, but the way that we start to talk to people.
1:02:40
I think it's important to remember people have been through a literal hell to get here to New York City.
1:02:45
We've, I've heard stories of, family members that have seen their partners next to them shot in the head and killed on the way here.
1:02:52
I've heard, from a mother that really stuck with me, that, would move heaven and earth to because she had undergone female genital mutilation to protect the small daughter she was carrying with her when she came to the New York City Arrival Center, which has been named, our our little Ellis Island by our new arrivals.
1:03:08
That's where case management starts, and that's what we've done since we started, since we opened the arrival center.
1:03:13
We start by asking what are some of your initial goals, do you need immediate legal help, for example, and you heard that reflected through, the panel as well.
1:03:21
We've made some changes immediately.
1:03:22
Now we offer, to help you submit your work authorization from the arrival center within 24 hours when you arrive.
1:03:28
We weren't doing that on day 1 of the crisis, but we're doing it now because we've heard it's, that's what people need and that's what people we're meeting people where they are.
1:03:36
The way case management's really evolved is we've heard these stories, we've seen what people's needs are, and I think that it was laid out very nicely earlier.
1:03:43
One thing you took away is everybody wants to work.
1:03:45
So that's been a big focus of our case management efforts.
1:03:48
I I'm proud to say that, one of the, the numbers that shows I think we're doing a good job now is that more than 70% of all eligible adults in our system have either applied for work authorization with our help or actually have work authorization, and are, as the second speaker was saying, going through things like OSHA training that we're, our case managers are connecting them to.
1:04:08
So what our case managers are doing day to day is, 1, seeing what legal help you need and plugging you into exactly the right place based on where you are in your legal journey, if you will.
1:04:17
2, talking to you about housing.
1:04:18
And I, have a picture on my phone from sent to me, a couple days ago now, from a family that we were able to work with them to find housing.
1:04:25
They resettled into a family of 4 that sent a picture to our team, with them with a I think it was a thumbs up outside of their new home, their first home in the United States of America.
1:04:35
That's them starting to achieve the American dream.
1:04:38
We we help them to do that.
1:04:39
And then other things case management can include, for example, it was mentioned earlier, the stress that people are experiencing especially after they've made the heroin journey, again in your words.
1:04:48
So we have behavioral health that we combine with case management.
1:04:51
We also make referrals to New York City Health and Hospitals.
1:04:53
We provide the bulk of outpatient behavioral health and inpatient behavioral health for New York City.
1:04:57
So we have we create pathways for people based on what their individual needs are.
1:05:02
And, we help people that have different trainings, learning to speak English, things like that.
1:05:06
The totality of that, of everything we do, which again is really driven not by what we thought people needed, but hearing from people what they need and hearing from everybody in this room.
1:05:15
And I especially want to thank, I know we're joined by Coalition for Homeless Legal Aid Society.
1:05:20
We formed a community advisory board.
1:05:21
We meet every other week.
1:05:23
We listen.
1:05:24
And at this point I would really consider our success a community driven effort.
1:05:28
And the result of that is that today through all the case management that we're doing, each week, now 42% more families with children are taking the next step forward and leaving our shelter system than a year ago.
