We proposed that, on an interim basis, until CBOs were able to fully manage the sites, DHS should initiate an emergency contract with us to provide community associates, resident advisors, and shift supervisors at each site on a 24/7 basis. Community associates would welcome asylum seekers and provided day-to-day support. Resident advisors, generally with social service backgrounds, would assess asylum seekers’ needs and provide more technical assistance. Shift supervisors would provide high level support, documentation, and coordination with City officials. To ensure consistent training, we would work with DHS to schedule the staff into various DHS-led training including Understanding Homelessness, Cultural Sensitivity, Violence Awareness, Trauma-Informed Approaches, and more.

Given the scale of the project, in addition to the capabilities of the 75+ recruiters our firm ad to identify talent, we proposed utilizing our unique Consortium Partner model, which would expand our reach by subcontracting with numerous NY-based staffing firms, many M/WBEs, and all members of the NY Staffing Association or the American Staffing Association who are committed to a strong industry code of ethics.

With the strength of the resources of ten staffing firms coordinated by us, we staffed eight temporary shelters across the City within one week. We provided hundreds of staff within days to staff these sites and afford city staff the ability to return to their daily duties. As New York City’s number of temporary shelters grew from 8 to more than 50, the number of our social service staff required on a weekly basis grew from a few hundred to a few thousand. This innovative approach allowed a rapid scale-up of the staff needed to reach the current level of 3,500 multilingual, culturally sensitive skilled staff members.