Community Connections: QBPO Immigrant Resource Fair

Libertas Center’s bilingual Social Worker, Cybele Martinez, talked with Queens residents about our services.

On a wonderful autumn Saturday in the Park of the Americas in Corona, Libertas connected with more than 50 community members and over a dozen organizations at the Queens Immigrant Resource Fair. The event was hosted and facilitated by the Queens Borough President Donovan Richard’s Office.

Community members received free medical supplies, helpful tips for recently arrived immigrants, and important contact information for other services and city agencies. At the Libertas table, we made stress balls with those who stopped by to connect over an activity and as a way to remember our program! We enjoyed adding smiley faces and other designs to them as we explained our medical, mental health, social, and legal services.

By the end of the day, Libertas Social Worker, Cybele Martinez, and Libertas Program Assistant, Flint Christian, were masters at making stress balls to help alleviate tension.

We're excited about any opportunity to connect with potential clients and partner organizations as we return to in-person events in a safe and cautious manner. We look forward to future events where we represent our work and broaden our community connections.

Thank you to the Queens Borough President's Office and Donovan Richards for hosting the Resource Fair and for their outreach!

A Wonderful World Refugee Day Festival!

Libertas staff and clients had an amazing experience at the World Refugee Day Community Arts Festival in Brooklyn.

Artists, performers, community members, and a host of community-based organizations gathered on Sunday for the 6th Annual World Refugee Day Community Arts Festival. It was a wonderful celebration filled with music, theater, song, dance, paintings, and more.

Libertas clients gave incredible performances. One client opened the Festival with energy and passion on conga drums. Another sang beautifully and inspired the whole crowd to dance. Another helped bring the Festival to a close with a stoic, powerful reading of their memoir about their time in exile.

Executive Director Dr. Dinali Fernando spoke on behalf of Libertas and advocated for services. Libertas clients were a key part of the Festival as they showcased their talents and connected with the community.

You can read more about performers and their performances here! You can also check out photos from the World Refugee Day Festival on the Conservatory’s website here.

Thank you to all who attended the Festival and stopped by the Libertas Center table! We are grateful for your support.

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In celebration of World Refugee Day, the Libertas Center is hoping to raise $4,000 for Libertas clients' emergency needs. Thank you for your support!

Libertas Clients’ Thoughts on Community and Care at Elmhurst Hospital

Elmhurst Hospital serves nearly 1 million people in one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse communities in the United States.

Started by physicians in the Emergency Department, in 2010 the Libertas Center opened dedicated space in Elmhurst/NYC Health+Hospitals, a major public hospital affiliated with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

We have developed strong partnerships within the hospital and our surrounding community, and, with your support, we have served hundreds of clients. Libertas clients have expressed that we are part of a devoted, caring network providing medical and mental health treatment and the vital support they need.

71% of Libertas clients identify either psychological care or medical care as their primary need, and 75% of them utilize services to meet those needs at Elmhurst and NYC Health+Hospitals, where they feel a true sense of security.

In the heart of one of the most diverse places on earth, Elmhurst shows Libertas clients that care and compassion are truly universal. Together, we play a vital role in the recovery and healing of refugees and asylum seekers, and as World Refugee Day approaches, we are all grateful to celebrate being a part of this community.

The Libertas Center was started by Emergency Department physicians at Elmhurst Hospital, who continue to lead and guide the program.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the community places a thank-you sign outside Elmhurst Hospital, the 'epicenter of the epicenter' of the pandemic.

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In celebration of World Refugee Day, the Libertas Center is hoping to raise $4,000 for Libertas clients' emergency needs. Thank you for your support!

Celebrating U.S. Citizenship at the Libertas Center

Libertas clients seeking asylum feel absolute joy, freedom, safety and relief when granted asylum, which gives them a host of new opportunities in their lives and puts them on the path to family reunification, permanent residency, and citizenship. Specifically, U.S. citizenship is incredibly meaningful to clients as it gives them a true sense of belonging in the U.S, their new home.

Clients want to take a moment to celebrate these positive moments: “I would very much [like to celebrate my citizenship] when it happens.”

As we transition back to the office in-person, our Clinical Director takes a call to provide legal case management.

Client artwork - we strive to keep our Libertas Office a warm, welcoming environment where clients can feel at home and inspired

World Refugee Day is an opportunity to celebrate all aspects of clients’ identities, including their citizenship. As the world sees millions displaced globally each year, with substantial delays in the processing of refugees and asylum seekers, Libertas clients continue to display extraordinary resilience that deserves recognition.

We look forward to celebrating clients’ identity, strength, and courage with you on World Refugee Day and beyond!

In celebration of World Refugee Day, the Libertas Center is hoping to raise $4,000 for Libertas clients’ emergency needs. Thank you for your support!

Global Displacement: Serving Asylum Seekers

As World Refugee Day 2022 approaches, we reflect on the crisis of global displacement. Today, more than 100 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide. These refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced people find themselves in vulnerable situations, without the necessary support.

Clients arrive at Elmhurst Hospital and New York City from across the globe . The yarn above represents their journeys to Libertas, the nail in the center.

When clients arrive at Libertas, 90% are asylum seekers. Forced to flee their homes and lives because of targeted persecution, separated from their families and support systems, and at risk for discrimination, our clients seek safety and refuge here.

A photo taken by Libertas staff at the U.S-Mexico Border Wall - 24% of Libertas clients come across the U.S.-Mexico Border.

Receiving asylum is key to clients’ sense of stability. However, the complex and lengthy asylum process adds years of stress and fear compounding their trauma.

“I always worry about my immigration.”

- Libertas Client

Understandably, Libertas clients still in the asylum seeking process utilize mental health resources at a higher rate and for longer periods of time compared to those who have been granted asylum. Libertas supports clients’ health and well-being through the provision of holistic services including supportive counseling and mental health care. We encourage compassion and understanding as these incredibly resilient individuals navigate multiple challenges on the path to rebuilding their lives.

In celebration of World Refugee Day, the Libertas Center is hoping to raise $4000 for Libertas clients' emergency needs. Thank you for your support!