Three immigrant service organizations will share $125,000 in city funding for emergency support, education, and legal services.
The money is pulled from this year's City Council and Clerk budget and originally was proposed to be given entirely to Refugees Helping Refugees. City Council tabled the bill in June, then the legislation was amended, and reintroduced in July. The bill passed unanimously.
Refugees Helping Refugees will now receive $85,000 for housing assistance, case management, and family support services. Mental Health Education and Legal Resources for Refugees (MELCOR) will receive $10,000 for mental health counseling, legal advocacy, and community support, and Rochester Refugee Resettlement Services will receive $30,000 for housing, education, and career advancement support.
The legislation was first submitted by Councilmembers Stanley Martin, Chiara Smith and Mary Lupien.
"I'm grateful that within this administration, when immigrants' rights are under attack, these organizations remain steadfast, committed to serving and caring, and making sure people have hope in our community," Martin said ahead of the Council vote Tuesday.
Refugees Helping Refugees is focusing on emergency family preparedness and being credible messengers, in the event members of a family are detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said Mia Abdullah, the group’s executive director.
“They have to designate a point of contact,” Abdullah said in an interview last month. “Someone has to be the guardian for the children if someone in the household has been detained or separated. There's a lot of information that's been circling around, but they come to us to give them the right information."
While all Councilmembers were supportive of the funding proposal, the vote Tuesday was preceded by debate over priorities. Council President Miguel Meléndez pointed to the failure to sell Adlai Stevenson School No. 29 to Rochester Academy of Science or RocSci, a charter school, in May.
Martin, Lupien and Smith voted against that sale.
"We know that the supports given to these organizations and by these organizations aren't just important; they can be lifesaving to the immigrants, refugees, and families that they serve," Meléndez said. "Having said that, I also want to not lose sight of the fact that there is nothing more lifesaving than an education. Many of the students who attend schools like RocSci wanted to attend closer to home in their city, in a facility that would accommodate the school's growing needs, and they were denied that right after what was a fair (proposal review) process at the time."
The bill to sell School No. 29 at a price tag of $1.8 million could still be reintroduced in the future. The building has been vacant since September 2024.
