LSA is thrilled to partner with the Church of the Heavenly Rest for an afternoon of Art and Conversation around the immigrant experience and our shared human journey.

A Stranger and You Welcomed Me – Art Reception by LSA Family Health Service in partnership with the Church of Heavenly Rest

Sunday, February 4th, 3-5 PM Church of Heavenly Rest – Undercroft Gallery 1085 5th Avenue

Contribute as inspired

Art and asylum intersect at this event, elevating immigrant struggles to find safety and home. Centering on the Exhibition of Icons by Kelly Latimore, the works mix classic orthodox iconographic imagery with figures representing the marginalized and the oppressed among us here and now.

Featured is a new icon for the exhibition titled La Sagrada Familia NYC, and it is of a Latin American family living in a nearby shelter and receiving support services from LSA Family Health Service.

RSVP by January 29th to tgough@lsafhs.org

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That’s the name of the annual New York State Youth Leadership Council’s (NYSYLC) gala where each year change makers in the New York community are recognized.  This year, one of LSA’s own was one of the individuals who did just that – dared to be more to her community. Melina Gonzalez, Immigration Outreach Organizer and Client Advocate at LSA, was nominated for the 2019 Immigrant Women, Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Leaders award.  The award recognizes individuals who live and fight for equality at the intersections of immigrant and gender justice.

“I am honored and humbled to have been nominated with such a group of amazing people who are empowering our immigrant community,” said Melina. “Regardless of what we think Immigration could be, should be or will be…respect and dignity should be our priority today and always, all human beings are born free and equal everyone has the right to live, to be free, and to feel safe.”

The NYSYLC was the first undocumented youth led organization in New York that works to empower immigrant youth through leadership development, grassroots organizing, educational advancement, and self-expression.

“I see Melina as the advocate who will never stop giving back, whether it’s for the families she serves in New York City, or the women and children she visits at the border waiting indefinitely in detention,” said Jaslin Kaur, Melina’s nominator. “As the NYSYLC works towards similar goals and looked to commemorate folks doing justice-oriented work for immigrant women, I saw Melina as the perfect candidate for her ability to take her commitments locally, nationally, and globally. She is a true champion of justice and equality, building bridges across immigrant communities no matter where they are. As a fellow New Yorker, I feel proud to know that someone local to this city is doing some pivotal, transformative work and I wanted to shine on a light on Melina’s selfless achievements.”

We thank Melina, Jaslin, and NYSYLC for all of their work to stand with and support immigrant communities.

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July 30, 2018 — Melina Gonzalez, LSA’s Immigration Outreach Coordinator, spent a week  in Laredo TX this July, volunteering as a translator for women detained at the Mexican border and pro bono lawyers that traveled there to help them.  Below is the message she shared with LSA staff and friends.

Melina’s message reminds us of the difference a compassionate presence can make for those in crisis.  It also reminds us that the challenges faced by immigrant families persist.  In our largely immigrant neighborhood of East Harlem, in New York City, where immigrants are central to the city’s history and identity, our commitment to immigrant neighbors remains strong.

We thank Melina for her service, and we are proud of her commitment to helping families, both here and in Laredo.

“I just want to be with my family!”

I have only been in Laredo TX for three days, and I have already witnessed more suffering and injustice then I have seen in all my years working with the immigrant communities in NYC. All I hear from these  woman is, “I want to be with my family!” As an immigrant woman and mother, I can’t bear the thought of not being with my children.

We are not allowed to show any affection to the women we are interviewing—this has been the most difficult part of my journey. I feel the need to comfort them, but I cannot. So I focus all my energy in my work as a translator and do the best I can to make sure all their questions are answered and that all the details of their cases are communicated to the lawyers.

I want to thank all of you for your continued support and affection. It’s because of all of the support of my family, friends and coworkers that I can be here helping this group of lawyers to make a difference in so many ways for the women that are detained in Laredo, TX.

 With much gratitude,

Melina

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The current immigration crisis in which children are being separated from their parents resonates with us as an organization that:

• strives to keep families in crisis together;
• works closely with immigrant families in East Harlem who sacrifice so much to make a better future for their children;
• provides mental health services to families experiencing the trauma of being separated from their loved ones in coming to this country;
• is made up of trained professionals who understand the fragility of a developing child and the lasting trauma that separation from a parent can cause;
• is a community of mothers, fathers, sons and daughters.

What we’re doing to help

For the families we serve, immigration policies that result in families being indiscriminately torn apart have increased the levels of toxic stress in individuals, families, and the community at large. These effects are likely to have long-lasting consequences and intergenerational layers of traumatic stress.

While policy-level changes are essential, the services immigrant families receive through our programs, including a supportive and safe environment, mitigate some of the negative experiences of trauma and loss.

Our on-staff Immigration Outreach Coordinator continues to provide up to date information and resources to families. In the past year, over 1,000 people have participated in our Know Your Rights workshops, and over 400 people received free, on-site immigration legal assistance.

Our counseling and support groups give community members an opportunity to discuss their concerns and fears about immigration policies and the current situation at the border.

We are seeking speakers of indigenous languages in our community to provide translation help to RAICES, a Texas-based organization working to reunite families.

We will continue to mobilize our community to respond in any way we can.

What you can do

Cayuga Centers in East Harlem is looking for Spanish-speaking foster families that would be wiling to temporarily care for immigrant children.  People willing to foster should be Spanish-speaking, live in New York City, and have a bedroom for the child. If you are interested in serving in this role, call the agency’s Home Finding department at 718-860-1656.

Volunteer as a Child Advocate for a unaccompanied migrant child. A Child Advocate is an adult who volunteers to spend time with and advocate on behalf of an individual unaccompanied immigrant child while he or she is subject to deportation proceedings.  Visit Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights for details

The New York Immigration Coalition offers a list of resources for those who wish to take action, including links and referrals to upcoming rallies, information on the most recent immigration legislation, and links to volunteer opportunities and petitions.

Contact your legislators and urge them to close loopholes that allow for family separation. Tell them that you want our government to return separated children to their parents immediately. (Look up contact information for your representatives here.)

Join LSA in the End Family Separation March and Rally taking place on June 30th, 10am – 2pm.  Click here for more details on how to participate.

Make a donation to support LSA Family Health Service and our work with immigrant families in East Harlem.

Updated as of June 23, 2018

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Below are some of the research efforts being made in our programs. The goal is to deepen our understanding of the community and to continue improving our services to help families move past the barriers to well-being that result from poverty.

Early Learning

New York University is working with families in the Parenting and Child Development program to research family makeup and its impact on parent-child bonding and language development. The aim is to create and pilot a new intervention program that will promote parent-child language interactions during common, everyday activities at home.

Greening and Asthma Prevention

The Environmental Health program is participating in several national and local studies that investigate the relationship between environment and public health. One study evaluates the health benefits of renovating affordable housing with “green” materials and technologies. Another study is looking into the impact of asthma management support for high-risk adult asthmatics. Finally, in partnership with Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the New York Academy of Medicine, the program is participating in a study focused on the prevention and control of mold, which can trigger asthma symptoms and other adverse health conditions.

Reaching Immigrants

In 2016, our Advocacy program partnered with the Mexican Initiative for Deferred Action (MIDA) to do grassroots outreach in the community in order to provide immigration resources to eligible individuals. Data was collected to learn how DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) affects the lives of those who obtain it.

Tracking Health Trends

Two MD-MPH students from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai are looking at Nursing data from 2012 to 2015 to help us understand health trends in our patient population. Thanks to a grant from the Sills Foundation, LSA embarked on a 3-year capacity-building ​project to develop agency-wide​ and program specific​ ​metrics to better measure ​impact and to implement best practices in the use of data systems​ to capture key information. ​

Photo caption: In 2016, LSA nurses made 860 home visits to provide prenatal and post-partum care.  Photo by Micah Rubin.

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LSA Family Health Service stands with immigrants, refugees and people of all faiths, and supports national and local policies that preserve and protect the rights of immigrant families.  LSA will continue to provide Health & Wellness programs and Family Support services without regard to immigration status.  We are committed to the families of East Harlem. We are friends and neighbors, and we work together to make the community better for everyone regardless of country of origin, religion, or ethnicity.  

November 11, 2016

Dear Friend,

Elections, by their very nature, create uncertainty about the future.  For the families LSA serves, the vast majority of them first or second generation immigrants, the uncertainty they live with every day is now amplified.

LSA Family Health Service is uniquely positioned to address this heightened uncertainty.  We are located in a largely immigrant neighborhood, and our history has been one of meeting the unique needs of this population.  Our Parenting and Child Development program is, in essence, an immigrant socialization program for young families, our Advocacy/Food Pantry program offers assistance with benefits access and legal problems, and our Home Nursing and Environmental Health programs provide essential health services regardless of status.

Because of our expertise, location, and mission, we are going to double-down on services.

We are focusing our efforts to make sure these services continue at this critical point.  And we are reaching out to our clients and community to let them know that we stand steadfastly with them, and are prepared to help and support them in any way we can, as we always have.

In New York City, the positive impact immigrants have made in the last 40 years is profound.  According to the Americas Society and Council of the Americas (AS/COA)*:

• Crime tends to fall faster in precincts receiving more immigrants. For every 1 percent increase in a precinct’s population due to immigration, an average of 966 fewer crimes are committed each year.

•  Immigration is responsible for reversing New York City’s population decline, helping the economy to thrive once again. Without the immigrants that arrived since 1980, the city’s property tax base would be $500 billion lower than it is today.

• Immigrants are contributing to the personal wealth of city homeowners. The roughly 2 million immigrants who have arrived in New York since the 1980s are responsible for a $188 billion boost to home equity citywide.

At LSA, the immigrants we know are parents who go without in order to provide for their children. They work 12, 15, 18 hours a day at the lowest paying jobs, in order to provide their children the best opportunity for the future they can give. They come to us eager to contribute to the greater society, and we welcome them with open doors.

To our extended family of volunteers, partners and supporters:

We reaffirm our commitment to protecting the health, well-being and safety of immigrant families that contribute so much to New York City.  We will continue to support them as they pursue the American dream.

Sincerely,

Reada Bunin Edelstein
CEO

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