East Village Asylum Seekers: Welcome Fund

Help fund laundromat use for the asylum seekers, who are washing their clothes in kid-sized sinks!

One month ago, the City of New York created a temporary respite center in the East Village, to house 350 of the over 10,000 asylum seekers who have arrived in New York City in just the last two months.

The center’s residents are escaping often life-threatening circumstances, from imprisonment in Mauritania for speaking out against slavery or in Russia for the crime of being gay, to gang violence in Latin America. Many walked for miles to cross the border and were placed on buses to Port Authority, with nothing but the clothes on their back — some even without shoes.

The response from our neighbors has been overwhelming. In the weeks since the residents’ arrival, local volunteers have worked to donate and distribute clothing, toiletries, and other essential goods. Many have asked for a way to make monetary contributions. While some needs are better met by coordinating bulk purchases of the most pressing items, other needs are in the form of services. To fill this gap, the East Village Community Coalition is establishing the East Village Asylum Seekers: Welcome Fund, to allow people to contribute to meeting the essential needs of our newest community members.

A pressing issue is that the site does not have any laundry facilities. As a short-term fix, we provided single-use detergent packets for residents to hand-wash their clothes in the former elementary school’s sinks. But by working in conjunction with a neighborhood business, we have recently implemented a better solution, and we are seeking donations to keep it going.

La La Laundry, a locally-owned laundromat, has graciously agreed to provide asylum seekers with discounted use of their washers and dryers. Thanks to a few seed donations, we have enabled over 100 loads of laundry to be done in the last two weeks. With your support, we can continue to fund this program.

Money raised in excess of the funds needed to provide laundry services will be used to help provide other essential goods and services for the neighborhood’s asylum seekers, such as toiletries or underwear.

The EVCC sees this effort as core to our mission of fostering community in neighbors new and old, supporting the neighborhood’s small businesses, and preserving the unique character of the East Village.

Thank you for your generosity in helping us meet the needs of our newest neighbors.