Centro Corazon De Maria

Emergency Assistance - Responds to the needs of newly arrived individuals and family units as well as other individuals and families who are unable to pay rent due to illness or loss of work. More than 80% of the money goes to rent assistance. The other 20% is given for medicine, medical bills and utility bills. We include money spent on food gift cards in this category. This past year, the East End of Long Island received significant number of newly arrived immigrants, options have been explored. For the first time this year, we received single adults and families from Central and South America. They were asylum seekers admitted with parole by the DHS. All applicants were screened to determine the urgency of need, and to ascertain that all other options had been explored.Persons who enter the country illegally are not entitled to any government assistance and are ineligible for benefit programs or apply for health insurance. Non-citizen children can receive medical insurance through the NYS of Health Child Health Plus program. 95 families were served in 2023.

Childrens Program - structured skills and stimulation program 6 hours a week for children ages 2-4 whose mothers study English simultaneously in the facility.

In November and December, we served 10 single Latino mothers and their pre-school children in an intensive intervention to address mothers' isolation and children's lack of access to early childhood education. Criteria for inclusion was income based. Mothers attended a parenting weekly class with their children, and particpiated virtually of an English for Newcomers class. A stipend of $1,000, provided by a generaous private donor , was given to mothers monthly for the duration of the program. 10 single mothers and 10 children were served.

ESL special English instruction for students whose low educational level in their home country prevents them from qualifying for state-run english class.

Childcare program - for children ages 0-4, four hours a week whose mothers were in the English classes or skills development program in the facility.

Various - program expenses related to all the programs