Catholic Charities Community Services, Arch. of New York

The Immigrant and Refugee Services Division of Catholic Charities Community Services, Archdiocese of New York provides a wide range of services for newcomers to our community. We offer legal services, two multi-lingual hotlines for those seeking informed assistance, refugee resettlement assistance, legal and supportive services for unaccompanied minors and English learning and acculturation programs.

The Catholic Charities Pro Bono Project is a dynamic, first-of-its-kind statewide project in New York. We identify cases through our Immigration Legal Intake Clinics and our coordinated Community Legal Clinics held throughout the Archdiocese of New York. Most cases are in dense and regionally isolated immigrant communities. The Pro Bono Project is a key component of the core immigration legal services provided by Catholic Charities. We focus on areas of immigrant representation for the most vulnerable. We teach pro bono volunteer advocates to: - Prepare affirmative asylum applications for individuals afraid to return to their homes - Litigate asylum cases for mothers and children fleeing gang violence in Central America - Help unaccompanied immigrant children obtain special humanitarian protection due to abuse, neglect or abandonment - Empower survivors of violence to find safety, stability, and status through US immigration laws designed to protect victims of crime, trafficking, and familial abuse - Assist immigrants to reunify with family members, both here and through oversees processing Every Pro Bono Project volunteer advocate will receive expert legal training and mentorship in each stage of a case and at each service event they choose to participate. This ensures that each immigrant will receive the highest quality, competent, and professional assistance, in furtherance of our mission to welcome the stranger, recognize the dignity of each person, and strive for a just and compassionate society.