Excerpts
NORTHFIELD — Bienvenidos a Juntos una gran familia.
Welcome to Juntos, a great family.
The
chalk-on-pavement welcome is about the only indication the former
Atlantic County Youth Shelter is now home to Juntos, an expanding
program in South Jersey that provides shelter to unaccompanied children
who have crossed the southern border into the United States.
Run by the nonprofit Center for Family Services and funded by the federal government, the Juntos (Spanish for together) program is also operating shelters in Woodbury and Burlington, in addition to the one in Northfield, which has been housing up to 20 unaccompanied migrant children for about six months, according to a local official.
Run by the nonprofit Center for Family Services and funded by the federal government, the Juntos (Spanish for together) program is also operating shelters in Woodbury and Burlington, in addition to the one in Northfield, which has been housing up to 20 unaccompanied migrant children for about six months, according to a local official.
CFS, based in Camden for 90 years, has seen a huge influx of federal grants for this program since 2017.
In
2019 alone, CFS has received $8 million in grants from the U.S. Office
of Refugee Resettlement for its Juntos residential shelter programs for
what the government calls UAC, "unaccompanied alien children," according
to government data compiled online.
That's
an increase from the $4.9 million it received in 2018 and the $2.3
million it received in 2017 to fund its immigrant youth shelters.
In an email, Eileen Henderson, CFS chief operating officer, said the social service agency expanded its services in 2017 to include "children crossing the southern border and seeking asylum in the United States."
Through a spokesperson, Henderson declined to specify locations of its Juntos shelters or answer questions about future expansion.
Between October 2018 and July 2019, there were 3,644 unaccompanied children released to sponsors in New Jersey, including 56 in Atlantic County, 124 in Camden County and 61 in Cumberland County, according to federal data. Federal law requires them to be held in "the least restrictive setting" until they can be united with family members.
According to government data, in 2018, approximately 73% of the children referred were over 14, and over 71% were boys. They were mostly from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
Entire article at
https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/unaccompanied-immigrant-children-land-in-northfield-as-shelter-program-expands/article_bb980f83-517a-5164-ba58-17d6860bd125.html
In an email, Eileen Henderson, CFS chief operating officer, said the social service agency expanded its services in 2017 to include "children crossing the southern border and seeking asylum in the United States."
Through a spokesperson, Henderson declined to specify locations of its Juntos shelters or answer questions about future expansion.
Between October 2018 and July 2019, there were 3,644 unaccompanied children released to sponsors in New Jersey, including 56 in Atlantic County, 124 in Camden County and 61 in Cumberland County, according to federal data. Federal law requires them to be held in "the least restrictive setting" until they can be united with family members.
According to government data, in 2018, approximately 73% of the children referred were over 14, and over 71% were boys. They were mostly from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
Entire article at
https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/unaccompanied-immigrant-children-land-in-northfield-as-shelter-program-expands/article_bb980f83-517a-5164-ba58-17d6860bd125.html
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