There are more than 175,000 new migrants in NYC since February 2024 and Sanctuary for Families is actively responding to their economic needs by launching the New Arrival Migrant Survivors Public Benefits Initiative. This Initiative aims to support migrants in NYC by focusing on their access to public benefits. The program is designed particularly for clients who are part of Sanctuary’s Gender-Based Asylum Initiative and have received assistance in filing applications for asylum, Temporary Protected Status, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. Specifically, this new initiative provides legal advice and assistance to clients regarding their eligibility for public benefits. Under the supervision of the Economic Justice Project (“EJP”) team at Sanctuary, pro bono attorneys will assist clients in assessing their eligibility for public benefits and helping them complete the public benefits application process.

This project is designed to complement Sanctuary’s existing efforts, particularly the Gender-Based Asylum Initiative launched earlier by Sanctuary for Families Immigration Intervention Project. The New Arrival Migrant Survivors Public Benefits Initiative is a proactive response to the influx of migrants, aiming to ensure they have access to essential economic resources and legal support during their settlement process in NYC. This new initiative is led by Sonia Mansoor, the Senior Manager of Public Benefits Legal Advocacy, smansoor@sffny.org, and Nadine Iberkleid, the EJP Project Assistant, NIberkleid@sffny.org.