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Agency Testimony

Commissioner Ali details family preparedness and Haitian Response Initiative

New York City Council · May 28, 2026 · starts 4:31:30 · 2 min

Ali describes a family preparedness phone bank with 225 calls, the Haitian Response Initiative with seven Haitian-led CBOs baselined at $1.7M, six legal clinics in FY26, and concerns about Haiti instability and pending TPS Supreme Court decision.

Member of the Public - Faiza Ali

This expansion, the hotline increased staffing capacity, including hiring additional counselors and a staff member specifically designated to respond to time-sensitive rapid response needs.

Member of the Public - Faiza Ali

The hours of operation were also extended beyond the previously Monday through Friday 9 a.m.

Member of the Public - Faiza Ali

To 6 p.m.

Member of the Public - Faiza Ali

Schedule so that callers have more opportunities to reach the support outside of a standard work hour day.

Member of the Public - Faiza Ali

The hotline also launched WhatsApp communications, expanded multilingual reporting from four to ten languages, and added three new interactive voice response language prompts.

Member of the Public - Faiza Ali

Moving on to the Haitian Response Initiative, MOIA coordinates HRI, an innovative program designed to support both newly arrived and longstanding Haitian residents.

Member of the Public - Faiza Ali

The initiative funds seven Haitian-led community-based organizations to provide case management and social services, while Catholic Charities delivers immigration legal services and capacity-building trainings.

Member of the Public - Faiza Ali

Established in FY22, HRI was baselined last year at nearly $1.7 million.

Member of the Public - Faiza Ali

HRI partners have also organized legal clinics across the city, helping hundreds of Haitian New Yorkers access legal assistance related to deportation protections, legal remedies, and work authorization.

Member of the Public - Faiza Ali

Catholic Charities regularly conducts train-the-trainer workshops to equip community organizations

Member of the Public - Faiza Ali

with real-time information needed to support residents navigating immigration-related issues independently.

Member of the Public - Faiza Ali

This work remains especially urgent, as we know, amid growing instability in Haiti and a pending Supreme Court decision that will determine the future of TPS.

Member of the Public - Faiza Ali

In FY26 alone, HRI has completed six legal clinics with an additional asylum application review clinic scheduled today, May 28, 2026, at Brooklyn Borough Hall.