Immigrant Serving Organizations: Key Partners with Government to Help Those Worst-Hit and Least-Served Through the Lifecycle of the Pandemic

Immigrant workers living paycheck-to-paycheck have been among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, yet have received minimal help in the federal stimulus response. This study, published by New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE), a New York-based immigrant-serving non-profit, and the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College, the City University of New York, explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigrant New Yorkers and their families in some of the hardest-hit neighborhoods in New York City. The report is based on a NICE survey conducted in Spring 2020 via direct phone calls, which found the pandemic severely impacted these immigrant communities both economically and in terms of physical and mental health. More than 90 percent of respondents reported they had not worked in the four weeks prior to the survey and 36 percent had experienced COVID-19 symptoms. A vast majority (nearly 80 percent) had lost all of their income and savings during the pandemic and most (73 percent) explained they were at risk or could be at risk of experiencing homelessness. Many (15 percent) had experienced extreme anxiety or suicidal thoughts in response to the pandemic. The report laments the exclusion of certain immigrant groups from social safety net programs, notably healthcare and the federal stimulus response – a policy blunder that has worsened the impact of the pandemic on these groups. The authors urge federal policymakers to eliminate these exclusionary practices to both aid these vulnerable groups and to hasten the economic recovery of their communities. The report recommends continued funding for immigrant-serving organizations and other nonprofits, as these organizations often serve as a lifeline for vulnerable populations and can produce relevant research for policymakers. Given their proximity to and experience working with immigrant communities, these organizations should also be included in planning, implementing and monitoring of COVID-19 responses. The authors argue larger foundations and public universities should support immigrant organizations in their efforts to facilitate the flow of information to immigrant communities and to provide needed relief. (Samantha Jones for The Immigrant Learning Center’s Public Education Institute)

Download now or view online.