Shorefront YM-YWHA Receives $250,000 Grant To Provide Free Citizenship Services
The Shorefront YM-YWHA (3300 Coney Island Avenue) received a huge $250,000 grant from the United States Citizenship Immigration Services (USCIS) for the purpose of providing free citizenship legal application services and citizenship preparation for the next two years. Below is the press release put out by the Shorefront Y that provides details on the grant, information on the programs and contact information for those interested:
As our country celebrated Constitution Day and Citizenship Day on September 17th, the United States Citizenship Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the Shorefront Y was one of just 40 organizations across the country to be awarded a Citizenship and Integration Grant which includes providing free Citizenship Application Assistance and Citizenship Preparation Classes for Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs). “It is a privilege to work with these aspiring citizens, and we now have an even greater ability to assist those in our local community through a generous grant from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).” says Lawrence Fish, Program Director of Educational, Vocational, and Citizenship Services.
All USCIS funded citizenship services will be completely free of charge. USICS funding will enable the Shorefront Y to provide citizenship services to over 1,200 new clients. The Shorefront Y will offer 20 citizenship instruction classes to over 400 enrollees, prepare and submit over 650 applications for citizenship, and assure that over 500 Legal Permanent Residents will become naturalized U.S. Citizens. The multi-cultural staff members at the Shorefront Y are able to assist clients in Russian, Spanish, Urdu, and Chinese, in addition to English.
Clients emigrating to the U.S from all over the world come to the Shorefront Y for a wide array of services and programs. Just last year, the Shorefront Y’s Citizenship Department represented new Americans hailing from over 40 countries. All legal permanent residents (LPR) who are ready to apply for citizenship can attend ESL and Citizenship classes day or night year-round. Shorefront Y staff and volunteers are also ready to help those that are homebound and unable to come in person.
The Shorefront Y is a Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) Recognized Agency and three staff members are BIA Accredited Representatives able to provide free legal citizenship advice and assistance, including help resolving application issues and representation at USCIS naturalization interviews. All legal permanent residents ready to apply for citizenship and prepare for their citizenship interview for naturalization should call Ella at 718-646-1444 ext. 363 for Citizenship classes or Zima at 718-646-1444 ext.366 to learn more in regards to getting assistance with the citizenship application process.
The USCIS awards grants to expand the availability of high-quality citizenship preparation services for lawful permanent residents across the nation. With this USCIS grant, Shorefront Y’s efforts will have a larger impact in helping community members achieve their dream of U.S. citizenship. “By helping immigrants improve their English language skills and learn about our country’s history and government, and the rights and responsibilities that define citizenship, we will help them civically integrate – and that’s good for us all. We are proud to be a part of a process that is so important for our country and for our community and look forward to serving 1,200 people as they pursue their own dream of becoming U.S. citizens.” says Lawrence Fish, Program Director of Educational, Vocational, and Citizenship Services.