Welcome Cards for New Neighbors in Midtown

There are more and more people seeking shelter in New York--on the night of August 15th, there were 53,298 people sleeping in the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) shelter system (one of several shelter systems in NYC), up from 46,591 on January 2nd of this year. In response to this increase, DHS has opened several new shelters in commercial hotels to house homeless neighbors, including in Midtown.

Midtown Open Hearts is coordinating neighbors in Midtown (and others throughout the city who want to help!) to create handmade welcome cards for homeless neighbors who are staying in recently-opened shelters, including asylum seekers who have recently entered the United States. Amid increasingly dehumanizing and xenophobic rhetoric, we want to let our new neighbors know that they belong here and to help them feel welcomed and supported as they navigate the shelter system.

We hope you'll join us in writing out cards for our new neighbors--it's an easy, fun, and family-friendly way to get involved! Please fill out the form above ASAP if you would like to make cards for our first batch of cards and can commit to having your cards ready before September 23rd. In order to facilitate pickup/dropoff, you must be located in NYC. With any questions, email info@openheartsinitiative.org.