New York's Citizen Shelters
The citizens opening their doors to asylum seekers in NYC
New York is the only major city in the United States obliged by law to shelter anyone who asks. With the city's temporary housing system already running at capacity, many migrants and homeless people have nowhere to go. In response, a group of local citizens have begun to welcome such people into their homes.
Hannah Wolfe had been volunteering with Team TLC NYC, a charity that supports migrants and asylum seekers in New York City. Many people come from Latin America and are freeing poverty and violence. But they are regularly turned away from shelters. "One of the team members I work with had found them crying and freezing on the street without proper clothing," Hannah says. Frustrated, Hannah began taking people into her home. She currently lives with Raulimar, from Venezuela, and Kevin, from Ecuador - but there have been times when up to 9 people have shared Hannah's home. Hannah is helping them set up new lives for themselves and their families. "Obviously, I migrated for my kids," says Raulimar. For Hannah, the feeling of community is mutual: "it feels like family, definitely."
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