Long Island Community Foundation

Long Island has a significant Haitian population; nearly 30,000 Haitians reside in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that struck the Haitian capital of Port au Prince in January 2010, the Long Island Community Foundation (LICF) experienced an influx of inquiries from local organizations that had seen a drastic increase in the need for mental health services among the Haitian community. In response to this catastrophe and the needs of New York Haitian communities, NYHealth developed a three-part response strategy. The Foundation participated in two separate funding collaboratives led by Brooklyn Community Foundation (BCF) and LICF. NYHealth also provided a grant to Haitian American Cultural and Social Organization (HACSO). NYHealth provided grants totaling $150,000 to support these organizations’ efforts to address the needs of Haitian communities in three areas of the State.

With NYHealth support, LICF created the Long Island Haitian Support Fund, which it used to make grants to organizations serving the Long Island Haitian population affected by the earthquake. Counseling was desperately needed, as many of Long Island’s Haitian residents had lost family members and friends in the earthquake; the influx of Haitians in Long Island also added to the need for immediate social and emotional support. LICF used the Fund to respond to two major areas of need: mental health counseling and facilitating enrollment for Temporary Protected Status.