Neighbors Link Corp

NEIGHBORS LINK CORPORATION'S MISSION IS TO STRENGTHEN THE WHOLE COMMUNITY BY ACTIVELY ENHANCING THE HEALTHY INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANTS. NEIGHBORS LINK STAFF, ALONG WITH OVER 400 COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS , OFFER PROGRAMS IN ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE, PARENT EDUCATION , WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION, LEGAL SERVICES,CULTURAL AWARENESS TRAINING AND CRISIS AND SUPPORT SERVICES.

NEIGHBORS LINK COMMUNITY LAW PRACTICE , THE LAW DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORS LINK, IS A LEADER IN THE PROVISION OF IMMIGRATION LEGAL SERVICES IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY AND THROUGHOUT THE HUDSON VALLEY. OUR DYNAMIC TEAM CONSISTS OF FIVE EXPERIENCED IMMIGRATION ATTORNEYS, FOUR DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ACCREDITED REPRESENTATIVES AND A DEDICATED TEAM OF VOLUNTEER ATTORNEYS. WE ARE A COMMUNITY BASED PRO BONO LEGAL SERVICES PRACTICE PROVIDING COMPREHENSIVE AND HOLISTIC SERVICES IN LEGAL MATTERS RANGING FROM RAPID RESPONSE, REMOVAL DEFENSE, AND OTHER AFFIRMATIVE FILINGS AS WELL AS COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND LEGAL ADVOCACY. IN 2021, 843 IMMIGRATION LEGAL CASES WERE HANDLED BY NEIGHBORS LINK COMMUNITY LAW PRACTICE. IN ADDITION, 6,210 PEOPLE ATTENDED 23 IN PERSON AND VIRTUAL "KNOW YOUR RIGHTS" PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS.

NEIGHBORS LINK PROVIDED CRISIS AND SUPPORT SERVICES ON MEDICAL ISSUES (INCLUDING COVID VACCINES, TESTING, OTHER CARE), HOUSING, EMPLOYMENT, FOOD INSECURITY AND OTHER ISSUES THROUGH AN EXTENSIVE NETWORK OF PARTNERSHIPS. THE ORGANIZATION SERVED OVER 6,100 CLIENTS IN 2021.

FAMILY CENTER IS AN INITIATIVE THAT FOCUSES ON PARENT-CHILD TOGETHER PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO REINFORCE AND ENHANCE A PARENT'S ABILITY TO IMPROVE THEIR CHILDREN'S COGNITIVE AND SOCIAL SKILLS . PARENTS LEARN CRITICAL TECHNIQUES TO MOTIVATE AND INSPIRE THEIR CHILDREN. THE FAMILY CENTER PHILOSOPHY THAT GUIDES THE WORK INCLUDES THE CONCEPT THAT PARENTS ARE THEIR CHILD'S FIRST TEACHERS AND BICULTURAL CHILDREN BENEFIT FROM PARENTING THAT IS RELEVANT TO BOTH CULTURES. THE PRIMARY GOALS FOR THE FAMILY CENTER ARE TO ADDRESS THE URGENT NEED TO IMPROVE SCHOOL READINESS AMONG THE FAMILIES WE SERVE ; TO CLOSE THE WIDENING ACHIEVEMENT GAP BETWEEN IMMIGRANT CHILDREN AND THEIR PEERS AND TO RAISE COLLEGE-BOUND CHILDREN-THUS BREAKING THE FAMILY CYCLE OF POVERTY. OUR PARENT EDUCATION PROGRAM MOVED TO A HYBRID, VIRTUAL AND IN PERSON MODEL IN 2021. IN RESPONSE TO THE COVID CRISIS, NEIGHBORS LINK CREATED A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO REACH OUT TO FAMILIES EACH WEEK VIA PHONE OR TEXT TOPROVIDE WRAP-AROUND CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES. IN 2021, 760 PARENTS AND CHILDREN WERE SERVED BY THE FAMILY CENTER.

A)NEIGHBORS LINK CAFE IS USUALLY OPEN 16 HOURS DAILY, 365 DAYS PER YEAR; DUE TO COVID THE CAFE REMAINED CLOSED IN 2021. THE SUPERVISED CAFE PROVIDES ALCOHOL-FREE SOCIALIZATION AND COMMUNITY BUILDING WITH TABLE GAMES AND RECREATION. CLIENTS GAIN EMPOWERMENT AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS THROUGH COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS, EVENT PLANNING AND GROUP DYNAMICS. B)NEIGHBORS LINK WORKER CENTER FACILITATES CONNECTIONS TO EMPLOYMENT THROUGH OUR HIRING SITE AND JOB BANK. EMPLOYERS VISIT THE HIRING SITE AND MAY CHOSE THEIR OWN WORKERS OR USE A LOTTERY SYSTEM THAT WAS DEVELOPED BY THE WORKERS. EMPLOYERS AND WORKERS NEGOTIATE PAY AND TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT. THE JOB BANK IS TYPICALLY CONDUCTED BY TELEPHONE AND CONNECT THE EMPLOYER AND WORKER BASED ON SPECIFIC SKILLS. C)NEIGHBORS LINK WORKFORCE EDUCATION PROGRAMS INCLUDE HOME COMPANION, ECO- CLEANING, OSHA TRAINING AND COMPUTER SKILLS. D)NEIGHBORS LINK PROVIDES TWO ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN THAT NEED ADDED SUPPORT IN READING AND MATH SKILLS. THE LEARNING LINKS AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM RUNS ALL SCHOOL YEAR AND THE SUMMER LINKS PROGRAM OPERATES FOR FIVE WEEKS IN THE SUMMER. IN 2021, OVER 170 CLIENTS WERE SERVED AND BOTH PROGRAMS WERE HYBRID,ON-LINE AND IN PERSON. E)ENGLISH FOR SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES (ESOL)PROGRAMS SUPPORT FULL INTEGRATION FOR IMMIGRANTS IN OUR COMMUNITY. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE, WE HAVE STRUCTURED CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION AND THROUGH THE WORK OF HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERS WE HAVE TUTORING AND CONVERSATION CLASSSES. IN 2021, OUR ESOL CLASSES WERE A COMBINATION OF ON- LINE AND IN PERSON CLASSES IN RESPONSE TO COVID. IN 2021, 470 CLIENTS WERE SERVED.