Samih Akanoishi on immigrant youth homelessness experience

Hi, good afternoon.

My name is Samihakhan Oishi.

I'm 23 years old.

I came to the United States as an immigrant.

I came to the States as an F1 student at Stony Brook University.

And as I got sick before the day of my finals, I found myself in the ER and so I lost my scholarship.

That's how I got kicked out of my dorm.

And as I was...

Looking for shelters, I ended up in the Randall's Island where they could not accept me because I did have a stamp on my passport.

And the reason for someone to stay in Randall's Island was for them to be undocumented.

But because I had a passport, I could not get in.

I was in...

I was there for about 18 days as I was looking for different shelters, and all the adult shelters asked for paperwork and documentations, which I did not have.

Every time I would go to state ID, and they would ask me for my social security number, and I would get...

There to ask me my state ID.

So it was going back and forth as a 19 year old.

And as I was dragging my four suitcases, the door helped me to get to Covenant House.

And the only way they told me was to call every single day.

To every single shelter.

And that brings me to a point where I was hearing everybody and the city has resources, but we need to connect the dots.

And I know I'm going outside of my paper, but

Currently, I am out of rapid rehousing program and living in my apartment,

working in NYU Langone as a patient care technician while going to nursing school.

I started my certified nurse's assistant program in Covenant House as I was living in the Bridge House in the Bronx.

While living there, when I went there for the first time, two in the morning, all they asked me was how old I was.

Not my paperwork, not my passport, not my documentations.

And in a vulnerable situation like that, I did not care about anything else but to.

A place where I could stay.

And as I walked in, they asked me whether I want to eat something, but I was too scared, as my parents said, don't eat something from a stranger.

And I would not eat anything for the first 24 hours except chips, because those came in a package.

As it may sound too good to be true, but Covenant House provided me with a bed, food, security, safety, and...

They helped me with my immigration paperwork.

And I got my social security number and my state ID and work permit within a month.

And after that, I got enrolled into the Certified Nurse Assistant Program and the health...

Care center.

They helped me with my health clearance because I did not have an address.

I did not have a health insurance.

I also got the help with my MetroCards.

Simple things.

It's not something exaggerating, but also adult shelters.

I have been into Franklin Shelter where I had to intake every 24 hours and I have to be online.

For that, but they could not accept me because of my documentation and lack of paperwork.

Where I'm standing here right now is Covenant House has shaped me in eight months.

Where I'm standing right now, living in New York City, where I would walk the streets and feel, it's a huge city.

Isn't there any apartment there I can stay?

And pay for it.

And now after eight months, only after eight months, I can have that privilege to be in my own apartment while working the job and working towards the dream that I once had.

So it's not hard to have one less person in the streets because

I know the city has funds.

I know the city is trying, but it's important to connect the dots in between and have the right funds, which is they are asking $80,000.

Everyone is saying the same things, but I'm just trying to...

Figure out the whole experience where it's a whole circle where I don't have to go to somewhere else for and where I can be human not a paperwork

Thank you.

Thank you so much for sharing.

We really appreciate it.

Thank you.