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Q&A
Council Member Avilés questions MOIA on new immigrant services model
3:01:20
·
6 min
Council Member Alexa Avilés questions MOIA officials about the new model for immigrant services, focusing on the number of people to be served, demographics, changes in service delivery, and staffing ratios. MOIA representatives, including Commissioner Manuel Castro and Deputy Commissioners, provide responses about the ongoing process of finalizing details with providers and the intentional focus on linguistic and cultural diversity in service delivery.
- MOIA is still determining exact numbers and demographics for the new model as they finalize agreements with providers
- The new model aims to increase touchpoints in immigrant communities through 38 centers and maintain linguistic and cultural diversity
- Council Member Avilés expresses concerns about staffing ratios and MOIA's capacity to manage the new program rollout
Alexa Avilés
3:01:20
In terms of how many people and what demographic does the new model propose to serve?
Manuel Castro
3:01:28
So I'll let DC Sanchez or DC Lucero weigh in on that, but just wanted to add to the model what differentiates the work of Moya in the programs that are housed in other agencies is that this model increases the number of, let's say, touch points of immigrant communities to city funded programs, which is why we've decided to establish these 38 centers in immigrant communities so that people know where to go to if they were to need immigration legal services or other services.
3:02:08
I think that's been an effective model for us to be very much rooted in community and districts and neighborhoods where immigrants live.
3:02:17
And from there, we'll connect them to city services available to them and to other providers.
3:02:24
And I think that's what we are doubling down in this new model.
3:02:29
Not to say that we will cease to work with existing providers, which again we said we will be extending contracts for this next fiscal year.
Lorena Lucero
3:02:39
Sorry, Chair.
3:02:40
Can you repeat your question at the top?
Alexa Avilés
3:02:42
Yeah.
3:02:42
We were somewhere else.
3:02:45
What what how many people does the new model propose to serve?
Lorena Lucero
3:02:51
We're determining that number now because we're beginning the conversations with our contracted providers.
3:02:58
And I think the other part of your question was
Alexa Avilés
3:03:01
Demographic.
Lorena Lucero
3:03:02
Also, we'll circle back.
Alexa Avilés
3:03:07
And wondering if there is any distinction there from the prior model.
Manuel Castro
3:03:20
Once we finalize conversations and and finalize agreements with the the selected providers, we'll be able to better assess that.
3:03:31
But our goal is to, again, spread the services across immigrant neighborhoods in New York City and to provide as much linguistic and cultural diversity amongst these providers.
Alexa Avilés
3:03:42
Yeah.
3:03:43
So so how does it look for our home community?
3:03:47
What's the change that Sunset Park is gonna see from the old model versus the new model?
Jasniya Sanchez
3:03:59
With we're again, with I can't really share the list of providers, but there will be an overlap in terms of the services.
3:04:09
We are looking to ensure that we continue to have full coverage in all five boroughs, especially in neighborhoods like Sunset Park, right, where we have a large immigrant community that we have centers either really close by and or directly this neighborhood so that folks can get these services.
3:04:36
With regards to the linguistic and cultural sensitivities, we were very intentional in this procurement to ensure that we continue to prioritize that.
3:04:51
So you will see that also reflected in the providers.
3:04:55
And I will just really quickly add with regards to the new contracts that starting July 1.
3:05:03
Know, while there's overlap, we also will see new vendors, right?
3:05:10
And this is part of building that capacity, you know, of smaller CBOs and being in community rooted organizations that are providing this work as well in collaboration with the new contract also that will be starting July 1 for legal technical mentorship for these new contracts.
Alexa Avilés
3:05:31
So the ratio for the new CBOs that you're trying to build capacity in, what's the staffing ratio?
3:05:37
Capacity in?
3:05:37
What's what's the staffing ratio?
Jasniya Sanchez
3:05:41
We can share that in the coming weeks as we're
Alexa Avilés
3:05:44
It's in the RFP.
3:05:45
Wasn't it in the RFP?
3:05:46
The staffing ratios?
Jasniya Sanchez
3:05:49
I don't recall that from the top of my head, but I
Alexa Avilés
3:05:52
think it was.
3:05:53
I just don't remember.
3:05:54
I
Jasniya Sanchez
3:05:54
think it's good to remember.
3:05:55
Yeah.
3:05:55
All so all of of course, all of the selected, you know, vendors have met that.
3:06:00
Right?
3:06:01
Right.
Alexa Avilés
3:06:01
But so one of the problems, I don't know if you were able to solve this or you took it into account, was that the staffing ratio was inadequate for what the contract was hoping to achieve.
3:06:13
Did you change at all the the contract?
3:06:16
I know this has been a long, long process.
3:06:20
Was that ever addressed in the contract?
3:06:22
Was the staffing ratio improved?
3:06:25
Because it from the former contract had diminished quite a lot, which goes against actually what needs to happen.
3:06:35
So did you change the staffing ratios in this final round?
Manuel Castro
3:06:40
If I can, I'll step in while Jess pulls that up.
3:06:44
We did make significant amendments based on feedback we received from, you know, the first versions of the RFx.
3:06:56
And these amendments were made to, you know, make sure that there was maximum flexibility for providers, including allowing them to and Jess can weigh in allowing them to decide how they would staff their programs at the amounts we had put the RFX out for, which is $250,000 per year for three years.
3:07:26
Again, our preference is for our providers to be able to decide how to best staff their programs to meet those deliverables.
Alexa Avilés
3:07:43
Got it.
3:07:43
And so currently, do you does Moya have enough staffing capacity to to manage the rollout of the programs or do you need additional staff lines to support these programmatic roles?
Manuel Castro
3:07:58
We've of course always welcome additional staff.
3:08:01
We're you know we've made a number of adjustments within our team to be able to best manage the rollout of these programs and provide adequate oversight.
Alexa Avilés
3:08:16
I'm not even gonna do it.