Home is Where the Y is: Building Community in a Humanitarian Crisis
Since the spring of 2022, New York City has seen an unprecedented influx of over 210,000 migrants fleeing from hardship in their home countries. Nearly two years ago, Mayor Eric Adams declared that the city is experiencing a humanitarian crisis expected to cost around $10 billion over three years. Today, the city is housing nearly 64,000 migrants in hotels, tent shelters, and office buildings—even erecting an emergency tent shelter on a former airplane runway in Brooklyn.
As the shelter system is being pushed to its limits, the YMCA of Greater New York (YGNY) is steadfast in its more than century-long commitment to supporting migrants through the New Americans Initiative (NAI). Rachael Rinaldo, Senior Director of the program, who has dedicated 16 years to working with the immigrant, refugee, and asylum seeker communities, describes her work’s approach as not just logistical, but deeply human.
“The biggest thing for me is the people who come through our doors and the long-standing relationships we build,” Rinaldo says. “Some of them become like family. I still get calls from individuals I supported back in 2008 or 2010 on a regular basis to check in. I have people who have named their grandchildren after me, and so it’s the human connection that drives me.” For those who walk in our doors, we become a second home—a place where people belong and feel empowered to seek the skills and resources needed to thrive.
By fostering a foundation of community support and trust, we work effectively with our participants to reduce the barriers to integration by providing trauma-informed services, such as: workforce preparation and training, language and technology classes, civics and community integration and holistic, wraparound case management, and more. Many migrants arrive in New York pursuing asylum, a lengthy and often fraught process that can take years to resolve. Without work permits, they are vulnerable to exploitation and deportation and often turn to jobs in the underground economy. NAI is committed to supporting migrants through the asylum process, ensuring that they apply on time, scheduling and coordinating travel to and from appointments, and translating documents.
How do migrants learn about the Y? Our staff visit shelters to educate folks about our free community services so that they know that the Y is a place they can turn to. Still, we cannot do this work in isolation. Rinaldo emphasizes that partnerships are crucial to the Y's work. “If we want to serve the newcomer community – whether they are migrants, refugees, or green card holders – we need to take a holistic approach.” The Y has community partnerships at the city, state, and federal levels to provide additional resources for housing, legal services, food pantries, and more. Rinaldo has worked in collaboration with Ys across the country and world to adapt the initiative’s model for a broader scope, accounting for different regions, communities, and their unique needs.
During her time as technical advisor for the YMCA of the USA (Y-USA), Rinaldo has witnessed firsthand the impact of creating communities of support, implementing immigration integration models in communities across the U.S. and the world, particularly in supporting the Romania Y when the Russia-Ukraine war broke out. In addition to serving as the Senior Director of NAI at YGNY, Rinaldo is a technical advisor for Y-USA's Family and Community Stability Network, using the principles of the NAI framework to help Ys be more intentional in the way they serve families in their communities.
Our NAI community offers a reminder that compassion can make a difference, even in the face of overwhelming odds. As the city continues to grapple with the challenges of an unprecedented influx, we continue to ensure that every newcomer feels welcomed, valued, and at home at the Y.
Team Y Champions: Tucker & Amanda
Tucker Deane-Krantz and Amanda Engel are getting ready to tie the knot in December, but first, they’re lacing up their shoes to run in the TCS NYC Marathon with Team Y Champions.
Tucker and Amanda have generously requested that their wedding guests donate to the Y in lieu of a gift because they want to make a meaningful impact in the West Side Y community. The Deane Family has a long-standing relationship with the Y, going back to Tucker’s late grandmother, Marjorie S. Deane, a New York City philanthropist, theater advocate and fashion industry icon. In 2004, the West Side Y had the pleasure of naming our historic, off-Broadway theater the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater.
We're grateful to have Tucker and Amanda on the team, as championing the Y runs in the family. Tucker’s sister Tarara served on the West Side board for many years, and his brother Tyler currently sits on the board. We can’t wait to cheer for Tucker and Amanda on November 3!
Say Congrats! Visit Tucker and Amanda’s fundraising page.
Feeling inspired? You can start your own fundraising page to support our citywide programs or your local Y branch.
Welcoming Week: Barry's Y Story
The Y is proudly participating in Welcoming Week (September 13-22), a nationwide celebration of unity with immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees in our communities. According to Rachael Rinaldo, New Americans Initiative Director, we should be celebrating welcoming year-round. “We plan events that foster a sense of belonging, not just for immigrants, but for all community members.” In honor of Welcoming Week, Rinaldo shared a powerful Y story that still makes her emotional, 14 years after welcoming someone into the Y.
In 2010, Barry, a journalist escaped his home country with nothing but the clothes on his back and his press pass, leaving his wife and five children in hiding. He first came into the Y on July 4 and was sleeping in a grocery store at the time. Through the New Americans Initiative, Barry received access to essential services and took English classes with us. Through intense case management, NAI was fortunate to find a free pro bono attorney from Brooklyn College who helped him win his asylum case, allowing his family to reunite with him in NYC six years later. Their first stop from the airport? Rachael Rinaldo’s office. Barry wanted her to meet his family.
The initiative supported them as they settled in Brooklyn and enrolled their kids in school—things were really looking up. “He eventually saved enough money to buy his own taxi medallion, which, if you know what that's like in New York City, that is golden.”
Today, his oldest daughter is in college, and his twins are graduating from high school. Rinaldo keeps in touch with Barry and says the family is thriving. “This is what we do. It's that friendship that was built. I call him my brother, he calls me his sister. That’s what humanity is about, right? It's a gift.”
Celebrating 10 Years of Y Rowe Scholars
This year we celebrated the ten years since our premier college and career access program was named Y Rowe Scholars. Thanks to Jack and Valerie Rowe’s remarkable generosity, more than 2,500 young people—of which over two-thirds of participants are Black or Hispanic—have graduated from the program and thrived in their college and post-secondary educational pursuits.
Over the last three years, Y Rowe Scholars boasted a 92% college matriculation rate compared to the 71% citywide average. With the Rowes' support, we are bridging the achievement gap that disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic youth from economically-disadvantaged households.
In June, we had the pleasure of paying tribute to the Rowes at our annual Heroes of New York Gala, where Y Rowe Scholars alum Samir Ghimire shared his experience with the program:
“I can wholeheartedly say that I wouldn’t be the college student I am today without this program. I am just one of the thousands of people who have had their lives changed thanks to the Rowe Scholars program.”