Formerly Artists Athletes Activists
Connecting Vulnerable New Yorkers with Resources Opportunity Community
Connecting Vulnerable New Yorkers with Resources Opportunity Community
OUR MISSION
With empathy and compassion, ROCC NYC (Resources, Opportunities, Connections and Community) connects vulnerable New Yorkers–including our newest immigrants–to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive in our great city. In partnership with a multitude of trusted organizations, we build bridges connecting people to resources and supportive communities, creating spaces where people feel seen, supported, and included.
HOW WE WORK
ROCC NYC relies on a lean, full-time staff and a robust network of volunteers. Our staff and volunteers help hard-working immigrants and vulnerable New Yorkers with direct services at our resource center in Hell’s Kitchen, NYC. Our resource hub hosts a multitude of service providers in our network that support the families and individuals that visit us for assistance.
OUR SERVICES
ROCC NYC helps immigrants and other vulnerable New Yorkers gain access to existing services like shelter, school enrollment, legal representation, asylum applications, and Medicaid and other health insurance. Our deep bench of volunteer translators help with all of this.
ROCC NYC Resource Center
Providing vital services, referrals, and community meals to newcomers.
ROCC NYC Mobile Food Pantry
Delivering healthy food options to support community engagement.
OUR PARTNERS
Our partners include the Legal Aid Society of New York, the City Bar Justice Center, PACT, The Door, Lutheran Social Services of New York, Coalition for the Homeless, Fidelis, Covenant House, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, DYCD, HRA, New York Health and Hospitals, NYDIS, ICNY, Afrikana, New York Legal Assistance Group, and many others.
Pastor & Executive Director, ROCC NYC host church & ministry
Since 2023, volunteer lawyers affiliated with The Legal Aid Society have served walk-in clients at the ROCC NYC. Their collaboration with the multi-lingual ROCC NYC leadership team, social service providers, and volunteers who assist with health referrals, benefits applications, English classes, and childcare has been invaluable in helping to meet the complex needs of our clients.
Attorney-in-Charge, Immigration Law Unit, The Legal Aid Society
Since its inception, the Coalition for the Homeless Expediting New Arrivals’ Community Transition (ENACT) Team has been a proud partner of ROCC NYC. ROCC NYC leadership has truly developed a safe, supportive community space that listens to the needs of our newest New Yorkers and has done heroic work to meet those needs through a spectrum of on-site holistic support services. Although ENACT has mainly focused on meeting the shelter needs of new arrivals that come to ROCC NYC, it has been truly awe-inspiring to get to witness and work in collaboration with the ROCC NYC team and other CBO’s on site.
Senior Manager, Systems Access & Shelter Compliance (SAS-C) Team Coalition for the Homeless
The partnership between ROCC NYC and NYLAG has been incredibly important to help bridge new immigrants access to legal services! Working together, ROCC NYC and NYLAG have been able to help hundreds of people obtain and remain stably in shelter and help them access and maintain cash assistance and medical insurance. The environment that ROCC has created is the perfect way for clients to meet legal services providers for the first time. New immigrants are met with a warm welcome to a place where they can rest, access culturally appropriate food, meet other community members, laugh, and be connected with the services they need. We so value our partnership with ROCC NYC!
Project Director Shelter and Economic Stability Project NYLAG
As the site host and partner with ROCC NYC, we see first hand the immense impact of their work and dedication. The staff, volunteers and partners that make up ROCC NYC provide vital support to thousands of the most vulnerable individuals in our city, and they do so with the deepest level of compassion and devotion. The ROCC NYC approach to support is holistic, addressing the emotional, social and physical needs of everyone who walks through the doors. What a gift ROCC NYC is to our city and our neighbors!