Brooklyn Community Foundation

On January 12, 2010, hundreds of thousands of people were killed, injured, and displaced from their homes as a result of the earthquake that devastated Port au Prince, Haiti.

The impact of this catastrophe extended beyond the shores of Haiti, affecting one of New York City’s growing, yet under-resourced, communities. New York City is home to one of the largest Haitian communities outside of Haiti—more than 140,000 individuals—the vast majority of whom live in Brooklyn and Queens. 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 Long Island Community Foundation (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, the Brooklyn Community Foundation and United Way of New York City established the NYC Haitian Community Hope & Healing Fund to address the short- and long-term needs of individuals, families, and communities in the New York City area affected by the earthquake in Haiti. The Fund provided financial support and critical resources to local nonprofit organizations in both Queens and Brooklyn. The fund focused on strengthening these local organizations to serve the increasing number of people who needed assistance with health and mental health issues; immigration; grief and trauma; job training; housing; English language acquisition; and more in the immediate aftermath and coming years.