If you are an asylum seeker who has just arrived in New York City, you can get free and confidential help at the Asylum Seeker Resource Navigation Center. You will need to schedule an appointment through NYC shelter staff or a community-based partner office.

The Center will connect you with services and resources, including but not limited to:

• Health insurance enrollment
• Healthcare services and appointments
• Mental health counseling
• School enrollment
• Child services
• Immigration legal services
• IDNYC (Municipal Identification) enrollment
• Immediate Response Card (IRC), a pre-paid debit card to buy food, hygiene products and baby supplies

You can get some basic services at the Center. The Center can also connect you with providers and community-based organizations throughout the five boroughs of New York City, including Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers (HERRCs).

Learn more about resources and services for asylum seekers.

Eligibility

To be eligible for services and referrals, you must:

• Provide U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement paperwork showing that you entered the U.S. Southwest Border on or after January 1, 2022,
• Currently live in New York City, and
• Make an appointment with the Center

The Center is open to anyone who meets those three requirements. You do not need to live in a New York City shelter to access these services.

Appointments

At the appointment, you will have an interview. It will be:

• Fully confidential
• In your preferred language
• With a trained case manager

The case manager will help identify your needs and connect you to services, resources, and information.

The Center is located at:

The Roosevelt Hotel
45 East 45th Street (between Vanderbilt and Madison Avenues)
New York, NY 10017
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week

Appointments can be made through staff at:

• NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS) Shelters
• NYC Department of Education Schools
• NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene Sites
• NYC Health+Hospitals Sites

The following Community Partners are also scheduling appointments:

• African Communities Together
• AID FOR LIFE
• Brooklyn Collegiate High School
• Brooklyn Public Library
• Diaspora Community Services
• The International Child Program (ICP), Inc.
• La Jornada
• Masa
• Mercy Center Bronx
• Office of New York State Senator José M. Serrano
• Ryan Health
• Unlocal
• Volunteers of Legal Service (VOLS)

Reticketing is a service provided to individuals who are new arrivals to the United States and are seeking asylum. This service helps arrange further travel outside of NYC from:

• All Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers (HERRCs)
• All Respite Centers
• The Arrival Center at the Roosevelt Hotel

If you have just arrived in NYC and need reticketing services, you should first visit the Arrival Center at the Roosevelt Hotel, located at 45 East 45th Street in Manhattan. At the Arrival Center, you will undergo an intake process in your preferred language, during which you can express your desire to be reticketed. Eligibility will be confirmed by staff. 

You should be prepared to provide:

• All personal identification documents
• Necessary details about your arrival
• Any confirmation or documentation of prior HERRC, Respite Center, or other shelter placement

Some travel options require government-issued photo identification. Staff at the Reticketing Centers will guide you through the travel options available based on your documentation.

The Reticketing Center is located at:

185 East 7th Street
New York, NY 10009
Open 7 days a week from 9 AM to 7 PM

Appointments are not required. However, please note that the Reticketing Center is designated for guests who have been discharged from the NYC asylum seeker shelter system.

You can help support the needs of asylum seekers entering New York City. 

Donate Money

You can make a financial donation to the Asylum Seeker Relief Fund, which is part of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance NYC.

Donations help fund asylum seeker relief programs and services that address a range of needs including:

• Immediate survival needs
• Legal information and services
• Workforce support
• Housing and relocation services

 Donate to the Asylum Seeker Relief Fund.

Donate Items 

You can get information online on where to donate items, such as:

• New clothing
• Toiletries
• Hygiene items

Find a drop-off location to donate items for asylum seekers.

NYC Service is coordinating volunteer efforts with city agency and community partners to help support asylum seekers. 

Individuals, community-based organizations, businesses, and other groups can get more information online about how to help.

Learn about volunteer opportunities to help support asylum seekers.

Houses of worship and faith-based organizations can sign up to offer shelter and support to asylum seekers. Funding is available to cover basic costs.

You can submit the Asylee Shelter Survey online form to express your interest. You will be contacted for more information.

Learn more and submit the Asylee Shelter Survey.

The Asylum Application Help Centers help thousands of asylum seekers currently in New York City apply for asylum, bringing them one step closer to work authorization. The City is looking to build a team of bilingual New Yorkers to assist in this effort.

You can apply online through "On Call Counsel" if you are interested in a temporary assignment as an Asylum Application Assistant or Supervising Attorney. Proficiency in Spanish is strongly preferred.

Asylum Application Assistant applicants must have:

• Experience in completing and complying with government forms and procedures
• A willingness to undergo training about immigration procedures
• A willingness to work in person and on site at the Center for five 8-hour shifts per week (except holidays) through a projected completion date of August 4 (subject to change)

Each Asylum Application Assistant will be trained on how to assist, handle approximately 2-3 appointments per day and will be supervised and supported by an onsite Supervising Attorney.

Supervising Attorney applicants must be:

• Admitted to practice in good standing in any U.S. jurisdiction
• Clear of any attorney disciplinary charges sustained in the past 10 years in any jurisdiction in which they were licensed
• At least 2 years of full-time experience practicing immigration law, including asylum and other humanitarian immigration benefits
• Willingness to work in person and on site at the NYC Navigation Center for the duration of the project, which is anticipated to be through August 4 (subject to change)

More information, including specific tasks, pay rates, and shifts, is available online along with the application.

Learn more and apply for a temporary assignment with On Call Counsel.

Mayor Adams issued Emergency Executive Order 538, which requires improved coordination from charter bus companies transporting asylum seekers into New York City. This ensures the safety and well-being of both the asylum seekers and city staff receiving them.

Charter bus companies bringing asylum seekers into New York City must:

• Provide 32 hours’ notice by email before arriving in NYC
• Provide specific information by email about the population they are transporting
• Drop passengers off at a designated location in Manhattan only during specified hours

Companies must email busnotices@oem.nyc.gov.

Learn more about the requirements of Emergency Executive Order 538.