The Committees on Civil Rights and Immigration of the New York City Council held a joint hearing on November 19 to discuss the city’s efforts to ensure a higher count next year when the census is carried out, and to vote on two resolutions which expressed the sentiment of the City’s elected leaders that persons incarcerated in far away places should be added to the count of the community that they lived in prior to being thrown in jail. The Haitian-Americans United for Progress was invited to testify. Following are the relevant parts of the testimony.
Ensuring that New York City’s Hard to Count Populations Are Identified
and Encouraged to Participate in the 2010 Census
Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued Executive Order No. 127 five months ago to emphasize the city’s determination to ensure that the 2010 census reflects more accurately the city’s population size. It is an open secret that in the past New York City may have lost its fair share of federal dollars because the census count has regularly failed to reach the hard-to-count populations in the city. The Census 2000 response rate for New York City was 55 percent, well below the national average of 67 percent. Given that a lower than average response rate deeply affects the quality of life in our communities, we wholeheartedly subscribe to plans and campaigns that aim to get residents of our great city to provide information to the census either via mail or when the census workers come knocking at their doors.
Everyone who is involved with the census count understands that networking and extensive cooperation are essential to the success of this effort. The cooperation of our group, the Haitian-Americans United for Progress (HAUP) is a given. In recent weeks, we have welcomed to our offices several Census district leaders to whom we have provided information about the communities that we serve in Queens and Brooklyn and with whom we have shared outreach strategies. We believe that the Haitian immigrant communities – which are concentrated in the Greater Cambria Heights area of Queens and in East Flatbush, and Crown Heights in Brooklyn – fit the definition of hard-to-count communities, because of language barriers, the level of misunderstanding that may exist as to where the information collected ends up, and doubts as to whether it will lead to positive difference in their lives. These obstacles can be overcome when confidence is built up through trusted institutions like HAUP.
Yet as we all know, trust does not spring eternal. It must be constantly nurtured and gained. We have gained much experience in doing just that through our 34 years of service delivery to our communities. It bears emphasizing that in this particular instance, trust is built and gained through a significant grassroots effort, which may be carried out via a combined volunteer and paid staff effort. In other words, it takes resources. Yet resources are woefully absent from the mix. Given the urgency of the hour and the benefits to the City of ensuring a higher than average census count, we strongly recommend that the City address this issue immediately. HAUP is prepared to help as much as possible, yet just like many other civic-minded organizations we have had to tighten our belts because of the recessionary squeeze. Providing resources to organizations like ours so that we can be involved in the grassroots efforts to get our communities to come out for the census is an investment that will be well worth it.
On Proposed Resolutions
Both of the resolutions before the Committees – proposed resolution 190-A referring to the legal residency of prisoners, and the resolution proposed by Council Member Seabrook – make sense.
Conclusion
We strongly recommend that there be closer consultation and cooperation with community-based organizations like HAUP which remains on the front line of efforts to ensure the smooth integration of new Americans of Haitian origin as well as those hailing from other nationalities. Our role as advocates and facilitators for the community members who seek our services makes us ideal partners with the city agencies that seek to develop winning strategies and plans. We know intimately the issues that they face. We can walk them through the system when the system itself remains unresponsive. If we are unable to do so, our failure is simply due to the lack of resources on hand. A stronger partnership with HAUP and other agencies like it should result in a greater capacity to deliver meaningful services to our constituents and empower them to take a more active part in the City’s well-being. That includes ensuring a high census count in hard-to-count communities.
The 34th Anniversary Event Draws Some 300 Guests and Key Community and Political Leaders
On October 10, Haitian-Americans United for Progress (HAUP) celebrated 34 years of service to the Greater Cambria Heights Community, in particular the Haitian refugees and immigrants who made Queens and Brooklyn their permanent home after emigrating from their homeland.
Guests came by the hundreds to the annual gala celebration which is traditionally held at Antun’s in Queens Village. Key officials from the City and State of New York came to recognize HAUP’s leadership role throughout these years, pledge their continuing support and urge the organization’s constituents to do the same.
Thanks to HAUP’s sustained efforts over the years, NY City and State agencies have collectively pledged some $3,500,000 towards the hard and soft costs of a new building to replace present facilities which have reached the end of their useful life.
There remains just $150,000 left to be raised to cover the soft costs. It is an achievement that the Haitian community can be proud of, yet it cannot remain passively on the sidelines waiting for some other angel to bestow its blessings in the community center. “We are our own angels,” said Elsie Accilien, Executive Director, adding:
“Our friends in City and State governments have done their part to help us achieve this milestone. They are now looking to us for the very last push. Just 1,500 donors contributing $100 each are needed to get us to the finish line.”
by Tequila Minsky, Heritagekonpa Magazine
This article is cross-posted on Heritage Konpa Magazine on the web.
Haitian Americans United for Progress (HAUP) is celebrating its 34th year and in a showing of self-empowerment and successfully providing much needed services to the community the organization is working on its last push of a three and a half million dollar fundraising effort to build a brand new facility at their current Linden Blvd., Queens address, which they own. HAUP holds an annual fundraising dinner and honors those of note in the community. This year is particularly important.
“We’re only $150,000 short of our goals,” says the Director Elsie Accilien with pride. “The focus this year at our October 10 event * (details below) will be on the ‘Dreamweavers’, those major supporters for the new building.” Haitian children’s folkloric dance, a poetry performance, a DJ with dancing and dinner will be part of the evening.
HAUP started 34 years ago in Queens to help Haitian refugees by providing major assistance to the newly arrived, helping them navigate the challenges of a new culture. To this day, HAUP continues to help those they serve in accessing tools and resources to live healthy and productive lives. In these many years, the organization has expanded its outreach.
Read more »
cross-posted on Queens Village Times
By Ivan Pereira
Thursday, August 27, 2009 9:17 AM EDT
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State Sen. Malcolm Smith awarded the Cambria Heights-based Haitian Americans United for Progress $250,000 this week.
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A Cambria Heights nonprofit dedicated to helping the neighborhood’s Haitian community received a major boost to expand its operations Tuesday.
State Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans) joined other southeast Queens elected officials outside the Haitian Americans United for Progress offices at 221-05 Linden Blvd. to award the group a $250,000 capital allocation.
Elsie St. Louis Accilien, executive director of HAUP, said the money will be used to help fund the organization’s new, larger headquarters.
“Through its dedicated staff and critical services offered, HAUP improves the quality of life for over 15,000 members of the southeast Queens community on a yearly basis,” Smith said in a statement. “The funds I have secured for HAUP will allow them to continue the extraordinary work they do for the Haitian and immigrant communities in southeast Queens.”
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Tags: Clark, community, Comrie, Elsie Accilien, haitian, haitian-american, HAUP, Immigrant, Malcolm Smith, services
news | admin | 
August 27, 2009 9:00 pm | 
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Senator Malcolm Smith, President Pro-Tempore of NY State’s Senate presented the Haitian-Americans United for Progress (HAUP) a grant of $250,000 to cover some of the soft costs of a new building that the community service organization plans to build in the near future. The grant nearly brings HAUP to the point where it will be able to break ground on the new facilities. So far through staff efforts, HAUP has raised about $3.5 million in capital funding as follows:
- $3 million from NY City through the good offices of Councilman Leroy Comrie;
- $250,000 from the Queensborough President’s Office, Ellen Marshall;
- $250,000 from NY State through the good offices of Senator Malcolm Smith; and
- $50,000 from Assemblyman William Scarborough
HAUP hopes that Haitians in New York and elsewhere will pitch generously to raise the remaining $150,000 before the end of the year. To that end it will launch a vibrant campaign to provide them with the opportunity to contribute financially.
The event featured a who’s who of key elected officials in Queens and the Greater Cambria Heights area. In addition to Senator Malcolm Smith, Queens borough President Ellen Marshall, NYC City Councilman Leroy Comrie, Nassau County Legislator John J. Ciotti, Town of Hempstead Councilman Ed Ambrosino came to show support and appreciation for HAUP which after 34 years of service continues to meet the needs and dreams of thousands. Several founding members came to celebrate this momentous event. Among them Marie Fouche, Monique Blanchard, Laurette Delaleu, Marcus Mordan, Rulx Rosefort, Pudens Devarieux. Architects Nicole Hollant-Denis and Rodney Leon, and Construction Manager Rudolf J. Gedeon were also recognized for their involvement in designing what is sure to be a landmark building on Linden Boulevard .
A $250,000 Grant from the State of NY Moves it closer to Turning the Dream of New Office Facilities into Reality.
Thanks to the due diligence of New York State Senator Malcolm Smith, Haitian-Americans United for Progress (HAUP) has been awarded a grant of $250,000 towards its capital program.
“We are extremely delighted to receive this award,” said Ms. Elsie Accilien, Executive Director of the 34 year-old multi-service agency, adding:
“We have long looked to the day when we can break ground on new facilities in order to better serve our constituents and the thousands of clients who seek our services. This grant puts us one step closer to that goal.”
In 2005, HAUP had secured a capital grant of $3 million dollars from the City of New York, thanks to the support of Councilman Leroy Comrie. This year’s grant will cover some, not all of the soft costs associated with the renovation of the facilities. Yet to be raised is an additional $150,000 toward soft costs.
“The NY State grant is a vote of confidence in HAUP’s ability to meet the needs of our community. We hope that our many supporters will go the extra mile and help us close the remaining gap with their financial contributions. We are committed to the revitalization of our neighborhood. Moving forward with facilities renovation will also give a tremendous financial and psychological comfort to our neighbors at a time of economic uncertainty.”
Camp HAUP is the summer youth program where the fun never stops. For children ranging in age from 5 to 14 years old, the camp offers dancing, stepping, reading, writing and math, sports, weekly outings. HAUP provides lunch and snacks for the children. All of this at an affordable cost: the registration fee is $200 and the weekly fee is $100. Base camp is at Sacred Heart Church Auditorium, 115-15 221st street. Camp is a godsend to working parents who can drop their children off as early as 7:00 AM and pick them up by 6:00 PM. To register and for more information, call 718-527-3776. Camp HAUP is held during the entire month of July from July 6 to July 31. Don’t wait, nor hesitate: Camp HAUP can’t be beat!
The picture gallery below shows some of the activities that children did in the past.
Save the document on your computer, fill it out, print and bring the form and registration fee to HAUP at 221-05 Linden Blvd, Cambria Heights, NY. We will happily be of service to you.
Last May, the NYC Council’s Committee on Immigration invited HAUP to submit testimony regarding implementation of Executive Order, an order issued by Mayor Michael Bloomberg of the City of NY which directed City Agencies to develop and implement policies on language access to facilitate the “successful integration of immigrant New Yorkers into the civic, economic and cultural life of the City.” Below are excerpts from the statement submitted to the consideration of members of the Committee by HAUP.
The Haitian Presence in New York City
Haitians began to settle legally in large numbers in New York in the 1960s. They left behind a beloved homeland which was unfortunately ruled by one of the most terrible dictatorships in the western hemisphere. Thanks to the family reunification provisions of the 1965 Immigration Act, their relatives eventually joined them in their new homes in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. The Haitian émigrés were soon joined by asylum-seekers who came by the boatload and on tourist visas as the political and economic situation continued to worsen in Haiti through the 1970s and 1980s.
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The New York City Council adopted by a vote of 51-0 a resolution urging Congress to pass legislation granting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitian nationals in the United States. The unanimous vote in favor of Resolution 1595, introduced by Haitian-American Council member Mathieu Eugene, is the latest to reflect a growing sentiment across the United States that Haitians deserve to enjoy the benefits of temporary safe haven while their homeland and its international allies come up with a winning strategy for growth, safety, political stability and poverty reduction.
TPS is a measure enacted as part of the Immigration Act of 1990 that provides temporary relief from deportation and a work permit to “aliens in the United States who are temporarily unable to safely return to their home country because of ongoing armed conflict, an environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions.”
Read the full story here.
On April 20, 2009, The Committee on Immigration of the Council of the City of New York held a hearing on Resolution 1595 which urges the US government to designate nationals of Haiti eligible for Temporary Protected Status under section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The Resolution, initiated by Councilman Mathieu Eugene, passed unanimously on a voice vote.
The Committee heard testimony from 4 Haitian-Americans, among them Bishop Guy Sansaricq. Jocelyn McCalla testified on behalf of Haitian-Americans United for Progress (HAUP). Following is the statement that was delivered at the hearing.
Statement of Haitian-Americans United for Progress
Hearing on Res. No. 1595
April 20, 2009
My name is Jocelyn McCalla and I want to begin by thanking the Committee on Immigration for extending an invitation to testify to Haitian-Americans United for Progress (HAUP). Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is an important measure that has long been denied Haitian nationals in the United States although they have clearly qualified since the measure was adopted by the US government. I will go more in depth on this matter but allow me to first say a few words about my organization, HAUP.
HAUP stands uniquely in the NY City area as the oldest community-based organization that emerged 34 years ago to help resettle and integrate Haitian asylum-seekers as well as advocate on 
their behalf. Amongst our founders, we proudly include Bishop Guy Sansaricq, a refugee from the Duvalier dictatorship which caused thousands of Haitians to immigrate to the United States and make New York City their home. We like to believe that it is thanks to the efforts deployed by HAUP and other Haitian CBOs and advocacy organizations that today many Haitian-Americans can be found at the helm of some of the leading private and public sector institutions that make NY such a great city.
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Tags: clinton, haitian, haitian-american, Immigrant, Immigration, new york city, NYC Council, obama, refugee, tps
news | admin | April 20, 2009 10:56 pm | Comments (0)
Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued Executive Order No. 127 five months ago to emphasize the city’s determination to ensure that the 2010 census reflects more accurately the city’s population size. It is an open secret that in the past New York City may have lost its fair share of federal dollars because the census count has regularly failed to reach the hard-to-count populations in the city. The Census 2000 response rate for New York City was 55 percent, well below the national average of 67 percent. Given that a lower than average response rate deeply affects the quality of life in our communities, we wholeheartedly subscribe to plans and campaigns that aim to get residents of our great city to provide information to the census either via mail or when the census workers come knocking at their doors.
Yet as we all know, trust does not spring eternal. It must be constantly nurtured and gained. We have gained much experience in doing just that through our 34 years of service delivery to our communities. It bears emphasizing that in this particular instance, trust is built and gained through a significant grassroots effort, which may be carried out via a combined volunteer and paid staff effort. In other words, it takes resources. Yet resources are woefully absent from the mix. Given the urgency of the hour and the benefits to the City of ensuring a higher than average census count, we strongly recommend that the City address this issue immediately. HAUP is prepared to help as much as possible, yet just like many other civic-minded organizations we have had to tighten our belts because of the recessionary squeeze. Providing resources to organizations like ours so that we can be involved in the grassroots efforts to get our communities to come out for the census is an investment that will be well worth it.
