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 .
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)
The Community Relations Office of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in NY, together with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are warning undocumented immigrants of a scam that they might fall victim to. The scammers seek to get personal information from their victims along with their social security number or Taxpayer Identification Number, all of which can then be used to steal funds from the victims.
The scam is simple: it asks the intended victim to reconfirm that s/he is a non-immigrant, tells them that as such they are exempted from certain taxes, but warns them that if they do not reconfirm their status – via an official-looking form that requests all sorts of personal information – they might be subject to backup withholding taxes, etc… In other words, if you don’t act on this request promptly, you do so at your own peril.
The IRS has provided a copy of the scam letter and form that is being circulated. You can click on it here.
What should you do if you get such a notice? Please contact HAUP right away.
NY State Governor David Patterson delivered a State of the State address on January 7, 2008 in which he detailed proposals to deal with NY’s fiscal crisis, brought on by the year-long recession, Wall Street’s virtual implosion and a looming depression. Of the measures proposed, slashing $2.6 billion in school funding appears to be the most hurtful to immigrant children and families.
The New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), which speaks for hundreds of immigrant organizations and advocates, including HAUP, issued a strong statement deploring the cuts as “unconscionable.”
We staunchly oppose Governor Paterson’s proposals to slash critical services and programs for the most vulnerable New Yorkers. We are extremely disappointed that the only two immigrant-specific programs offered by the state—the NYS Refugee Assistance Program and the NYS Citizenship Initiative—are facing deep cuts of over 50 and 20 percent, respectively. Funding for these programs was grossly inadequate to begin with. These cuts mean that even fewer immigrants would find the help they need to resettle in the U.S., learn English, or become citizens.
The governor’s proposed cuts of $2.6 billion in school funding would constitute the most drastic education cuts in the state’s history, and immigrant students would be particularly hit hard. Given the already huge achievement gap between immigrant English language learners and other students (the ELL dropout rate is among the highest in the school system, with one in two dropping out of high school over seven years), these proposed cuts are unconscionable.
HAUP, like many other community-based organizations that rely on state and city funding to deliver deeply needed services to the greater Cambria Heights community, has been preparing itself to thrive and grow despite the many obstacles that current economic situation has placed in its path. We are prepared to tighten our belt while delivering essential services. Cutting funds to schools that have long suffered from State underfunding could very well jeopardize economic recovery. Investment in education and essential services is a sine qua non for economic growth and social stability in our community. For the immigrant newcomer from the Caribbean, Haiti in particular, English-as-a-Second-Language classes are essential to their rapid integration into American life and enhance their productivity.
We join others in urging the Governor to reconsider its budget proposals, and to do so in consultation with the constituencies that may be most affected by ill-advised and counterproductive measures.
