“Serving Diverse Immigrant Communities of Staten Island”
El Centro Del Inmigrante is working to promote the economic advancement and well-being of immigrant workers and their families. Through immigrant and labor advocacy, educational workshops, leadership training, and emergency intervention for hunger, homelessness and health / safety needs, El Centro provides opportunities for economic empowerment, community-building, and organizing for low-income immigrants (including Latino and African day laborers, domestic workers, Muslim immigrants, women victims of domestic violence, and children of dysfunctional families, among others) to reach the “American Dream,” but “New Yorker style.” El Centro obtained certification as a Service Enterprise by Points of Lights. Nonprofits that operate as Service Enterprises more effectively address community needs and run on almost half the median budget than those nonprofits that do not leverage volunteers across all levels of their organization.
Guiding Vision
In order to achieve El Centro Del Inmigrante’s mission, to promote the economic advancement and well-being of immigrant workers and their families, El Centro works to help low-income immigrants (including Latino and African day laborers, domestic workers, Muslim immigrants, women victims of domestic violence, and children of dysfunctional families, among others) to reach the “American Dream”, but “New Yorker style”.
Results in Education
In 2014, El Centro in collaboration with Deutsche Bank and the Wagner College, founded Los Promotores, a literacy program that encourages mothers to tutor their children.
In 2016, El Centro started an Adult Literacy Program for Indigenous Communities. It’s the first program that operates 100% with volunteers.
Organizing and Advocacy
Most recently, El Centro co-led a campaign for the SWEAT Bill (Securing Wages Earned Against Theft). The bill provides essential tools to victims of wage theft whose employers may seek to evade responsibility by dissipating corporate or personal assets to frustrate collection of a judgment. Within the current political climate, El Centro is focusing its efforts advocating for undocumented laborers, young people and their families.
