Out with DocGo, in with United Way of the Greater Capital Region

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Asylum seekers in the Capital Region have less than a month to prepare to be on their own as the contract with the company hired by New York City to care for the migrants is set to expire, mid-December. NEWS10 speaking with community-based care groups to find out what the next moves are and who might be replacing DocGo.

“It’s like we’d be dimming the lights on the Statue of Liberty,” said Daniel Butterworth, Executive Director at RISSE. RISSE is the Capital Region group that provides immigrant support services and has been working closely with migrant families since they were bussed up here last year from NYC in the middle of the night.

He tells NEWS10’s Reporter, James De La Fuente, many migrants and their families want to stay here. “The folks that we’ve been serving and who are still residing in hotels, a majority have their work authorization, have paperwork filed, are in the asylum process and we’ll continue to serve them. That process is easier if they stay in the same place,” explains Butterworth. 

The Executive Director of RISSE said local community-based groups like his will need help. “United Way and Albany County have been pulling us all together and drafted a proposal that went down to the New York City mayor’s office,” said Butterworth.

Peter Gannon, President & Chief Executive Officer of United Way of the Greater Capital Region confirms the organization is now taking an active role. “We’re kind of now new to the conversation in the past week or two. But we’ve sent ideas, I guess you would call them proposals over the fence,” said Gannon.

He says an answer from New York City is needed much sooner, than later. “With this disruption in services, especially when you consider some of those factors that are out of our control, like the weather or any anything else that can come up in upstate in December.” Gannon went on to explain, “I think the best-case scenario is for New York City to move quickly on our ideas and our willingness to collaborate.”

Gannon says they are working hard to provide assurance to the hotels and vendors that shelter and feed the migrants.  “A very challenging situation becomes even more difficult if all of a sudden these individuals are displaced and then we have to start this process all over again,” said the CEO.

As a new administration is poised to take over in January at the federal level, Butterworth says his organization is in for the long haul, locally. “We’ve got an obligation to kind of hold the line and protect citizens. Protect citizen rights and protect human rights,” finished the Executive Director of RISSE.

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