This report is the second of three that describes the social and economic needs of low-income immigrants in Suffolk and Nassau Counties, New York, commonly referred to as Long Island. It was supported by a grant from the New York State Office of New Americans (ONA) Community Navigator Program, through a subcontract with the Central American Refugee Center (CARECEN). The first report used American Community Survey (ACS) data, from the U.S. Census Bureau, to examine the characteristics of and hardships faced by low-income immigrants on Long Island.
This report uses qualitative data collected through a series of roundtable discussions with community leaders and service providers who work with low-income immigrant communities in towns across Long Island. In the roundtables, stakeholders identified salient issues such as community integration, legal concerns, mental health, transportation, and coordination of services. The report describes the key themes that arose from these discussions and identifies existing and additional supports needed to overcome challenges related to each issue area.
For this report, we define “immigrants” as individuals who were not born in the United States. Non-citizen immigrants include both immigrants with legal status (e.g., green card holders, or refugees) and undocumented immigrants. Researchers analyzed naturalized citizens separately in the first-year report. In this year, roundtable participants discussed all immigrant communities jointly regardless of legal or citizenship status.