Originally scheduled to kick off at 10 a.m., IRIS organizers postponed the 5K race to noon to allow for city clean-up of Saturday night’s snowstorm. But the snow was far from the first wrench in IRIS’s plans in recent weeks. 

On Jan. 24, the Trump administration issued a stop-work order for refugee resettlement agencies nationwide, nixing $4 million in IRIS’s planned budget for 2025. The agency has laid off 20 percent of its around 100-person team as of the end of January, according to Executive Director Maggie Mitchell Salem.

For Salem, Sunday’s race — which saw a record-high 3,400 people registered and nearly $150,000 raised — was a bright spot amid the turmoil of the last few weeks.

“We came together in joy,” she said. “We stand together, and we are unified in our belief that immigrants, refugees, whatever your status, you are welcome.”

The race, usually dubbed IRIS’s Run for Refugees, was rebranded as the Run with Refugees and All Immigrants this year. Salem described this as a “very deliberate” change prompted by a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment in recent years.

Mahnoor Lodi, secretary of the IRIS student chapter at Quinnipiac University and a participant in this year’s race, praised the title change.

“Saying ‘run with refugees’ really brings them to the forefront,” Lodi said. “It’s not just like we’re doing this for them. We’re doing this with them.”

Salem spotlighted city and state officials that attended the race, including Connecticut’s Attorney General William Tong, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, state Rep. Roland Lemar, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker and city Alders Caroline Tanbee Smith and Eli Sabin. The race was Tong’s first 5K, according to a post on his Instagram. 

Sam Niazai, whose family’s company is a signature sponsor this year, said that he ran the race to show that immigrants are embraced in New Haven. In his previous work as an IRIS volunteer, he helped new families settle into a new city by grocery shopping with them and teaching them how to use public transportation. 

For others, like Danielle Burney, this year’s race was their first time engaging with IRIS. Burney, a sophomore at Quinnipiac, decided to volunteer for the race after interacting with the IRIS affiliate at her school. As a volunteer, she spent her afternoon helping to deliver food, setting up the dining area and handing out water to runners. 

Steph Bittle ’26, a first time runner in the IRIS race, explained that running the race made a “statement through unity.” Especially in light of the Trump administration’s motions to restrict immigration, Bittle said that running along packs of families and kids made her feel hopeful. 

In the hours leading up to the race, IRIS displayed a message on its website encouraging attendees to bring immigration documentation. “This is a large public event [and] we cannot predict or control who may show up,” the message read. “Your safety is our primary concern.”

Salem said that she and other IRIS staff put a lot of thought into whether to issue this precautionary message.

“We wanted to inform, but not create more fear,” she said. “Right now, that is a really hard line to draw.”

Jake Jayworth won first place in this year’s race, crossing the finish line after 15 minutes and 54 seconds.

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Thursday afternoon’s picket demanded a fair contract for the service workers, represented by Local 217 UNITE HERE. New Haven Public Schools cafeteria workers, who serve nearly 20,000 students, have worked without a contract since it expired on June 30.

Union members said that delayed contract negotiations and an alleged lack of engagement from the Board of Education have impeded their ability to stay afloat financially in the wake of the rising cost of living. A rise in wages is at the core of their demands for a third contract — one they have been negotiating since April. 

“It’s been so long that we need to make it clear that we need to get a third contract,” said Josh Stanley GRD ’18,  secretary-treasurer of Local 217. “[Workers] remained in the poverty they were put into by the rate of inflation we’ve seen.”

The union initially hoped to achieve a “Christmas bump” with wage increases for its workers and their families, but negotiations were delayed for reasons unknown to union leaders. Now, the goal is to settle a new contract by Valentine’s Day. 

The New Haven Federation of Teachers stands in solidarity with Local 217 and the public school cafeteria workers, said union president Leslie Blatteau ’97. 

“Before our students get to our classrooms, they stop off in the cafeteria for breakfast,” Blatteau said. “Midday, they go to the cafeteria for lunch. The cafeteria workers who work in our schools provide crucial support for our students, and so we believe that they deserve to be paid a living wage.”

New Haven Public Schools spokesperson Justin Harmon said in a statement that the district “values the important work” of cafeteria workers and looks forward to a successor contract. 

In addition to higher wages, the group is hoping to secure more affordable healthcare for its workers, according to Stanley. 

A longtime employee and resident of New Haven, Jasanea Hernandez, who was present at Thursday’s picket, said that the lack of a contract has been “nerve-wracking” and strained her ability to support her family. 

“Nothing is going to change that we’re going to take care of our babies in the New Haven public schools,” said Hernandez. “I do what I do because I love it, but we need to be treated fairly. We need to feel secure.”

Drawing on their shared identity as parents whose children attend New Haven Public Schools, Hernandez hopes that Superintendent Madeline Negrón will recognize that her support is critical for cafeteria workers to continue serving the city’s children. 

The Board of Education is located on 54 Meadow St.

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The messages of unity came in the wake of Donald Trump’s reelection and in response to his restrictive immigration agenda. At last Monday’s rally, organized by immigrant advocacy group Unidad Latina en Acción, around 30 attendees voiced worries about Trump’s plans for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.

ULA organizers have been contingently planning for a second Trump administration for months. Since the Nov. 5 election, they have trained undocumented immigrants on their rights and created emergency group chats for community members based on location. 

“We’re getting ready for this new administration,” John Jairo Lugo, ULA’s community organizing director, said at the rally. “We are organizing our community. We can create the mechanisms to protect ourselves.”

Protesters called for the continuation of New Haven’s status as a sanctuary city —  a municipality that discourages local law enforcement’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Mayor Justin Elicker doubled down on the city’s promise to be a “place of inclusion and belonging for all” in a statement the morning following the election.

Three undocumented women tearfully shared their fears of being separated from their children at the rally.

“We are very sad that Trump wants to deport us,” Maria, who asked to be identified by her first name due to fear of deportation, said at the rally. “We came here, we work really hard, we are here to provide for our families and it is not fair that they want to deport us.”

Jim Pandaru, a speaker representing Veterans for Peace, said that, given the looming threat to immigrant communities, New Haveners cannot afford to become passive. “We have to get together,” Pandaru added.

Paula Naranjo, an undergraduate student at Southern Connecticut State University, told the crowd that she witnessed a sense of renewed urgency to protect undocumented students post-election. Naranjo, who leads an organization aimed at supporting undocumented students, said the club is working to raise awareness about how Trump’s second administration will impact young immigrants like herself.

Brian Timko, a volunteer coordinator for ULA for over a decade, anticipates that the next four years will reinvigorate community organizing. He urged more volunteers to join their cause, allowing ULA to gain political momentum and push for legislative protections for Connecticut’s immigrant communities.

The countdown to Jan. 20: activists prepare for Trump’s reinauguration

Lugo and other ULA organizers hit the ground running after Nov. 5, hosting two meetings for immigrant community members about Trump’s planned restrictive immigration policies.

At a Nov. 11 meeting, Lugo and ULA community organizer Jenny Cornejo distributed “know your rights” leaflets to dozens of attendees. Emblazoned with the bolded words, “Be careful! If you open the door, you lose!” in Spanish, the leaflets instruct community members to bar police or federal immigration authorities from their houses unless they have an arrest warrant.

Lugo pointed to the 2007 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, where ICE agents were let into dozens of Fair Haven homes and arrested 32 alleged undocumented immigrants. He acknowledged that similar raids were not carried out in the city during Trump’s first administration, largely because of New Haven’s sanctuary policies.

Organizers also announced localized WhatsApp group chats to mobilize activists on the scene of an ICE raid. Jotting down community members’ phone numbers and New Haven home wards, Lugo instructed attendees to send a message in their group chat if federal immigration authorities knocked on their door, dispatching a ULA emergency response team to the community member’s home.

ULA’s main tactic will be photographing and videotaping federal immigration authorities to post on social media, according to Lugo. He said their approach proved successful when ICE agents arrived unannounced at local courts to detain undocumented immigrants during Trump’s first administration.

“They rely on nobody recognizing them, nobody recognizing their faces, nobody knowing their movements,” Lugo said in Spanish.

Lugo also acknowledged the heightened discrimination immigrant community members may face during the next four years because of the president-elect’s anti-immigrant rhetoric.

He emphasized the importance of solidarity with fellow immigrants, leading attendees through an exercise where they spoke with a person they didn’t know for a minute and then introduced them to the rest of the group.

“The thing that will save us during these next four years is unity,” Lugo said in Spanish.

Trump’s reinauguration is slated for Jan. 20.

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New Haven’s walk-in warming centers operate from mid-November to mid-April on a first-come, first-served basis. Equipped with mats and blankets, the centers provide unhoused residents with a warm place to sleep for the night, with some serving hot dinners and breakfasts as well. The centers are located throughout the greater New Haven area in New Haven, Milford and Hamden.

The city’s warming centers in New Haven collaborate through United Way of Greater New Haven, and engage in meetings to discuss hours, special accommodations and contact information, according to Shellina Toure, the program manager of the Varick Memorial warming center.

The 180 Center, located at 438 East St., is one of the city’s warming centers that has recently opened for the season. The 180 Center, led by Pastor Mike Caroleo, is a Christian non-profit dedicated to addiction recovery and homelessness support. Beyond serving as a warming center in the winter, 180 also provides free breakfasts and lunches to those in need year-round.

With a capacity of 32, the 180 center has received around 18 to 26 people per night in its first week since opening. Teddy Natter, the warming center’s supervisor, noted that the center will likely be packed in the coming weeks. Natter explained that when the center reaches capacity, it will have to turn people away.

The Varick Memorial Center, located at 242 Dixwell Ave., has also observed similar attendance. Varick has been averaging around 20 people per night in its first week, with a capacity of 35, according to Toure. Like the 180 Center, Varick also expects to see growing numbers of visitors as the winter continues.

“When we get to capacity and cannot help the people, or have to turn people away, that’s when you start feeling the stress of it,” Toure said.

As a program manager, Toure collects visitors’ information, where they are coming from and their date of birth, to ensure that the shelter’s services best accommodate the people they service. So far, most of the visitors have been New Haven residents, with a small number coming from other cities and states, and the general age of visitors ranges from 30 to 55.

While the centers are funded mostly through donations, some have received funding from organizations like the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven.

The Spooner House, located on 30 Todd Rd. in Shelton, services people from the greater New Haven region, but mainly serves the lower Naugatuck Valley as it is the valley’s only shelter. 

This year, the Spooner House received $10,000 in grant money from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. According to Susan Agamy, the executive director of the Spooner House, part of that grant will go toward ensuring that the shelter’s warming center is equipped with bedding, cots and additional food.

The grant comes from the Community Foundation’s Basic Needs Fund, which provides grants to smaller organizations that provide people with basic material needs. According to Christina Ciociola, senior vice president for planning and community strategies at the foundation, the fund received over 60 applications, a 35 percent increase since last year’s cycle. This application cycle, 44 grants totaling $350,000 were awarded.

Despite an increase in funding, with the New Haven area’s unhoused population nearly doubling in the past year, there are concerns that more resources will be needed.

“The resources, for the most part, are flat,” Agamy said. “This year, we have not had an increase in resources, which is, generally speaking, which is a little concerning, given our anticipation of an increased need.”

Shelters provide the care necessary to get through the colder months for the homeless population.

Frank Perez, who has been a resident at the Beth-El Center for five months after being homeless for around two years, appreciates how the shelter has supported him thus far.

“They do a great job here for residents and getting them help with what they need to do,” Perez said. “This place has really helped me and my fiance out of being homeless.”

Having been on both ends of receiving support and offering support as a warming center supervisor, Natter hopes that he can be a support system for the homeless people he works with every day at the 180 Center.

Before becoming the program supervisor, Natter experienced homelessness and underwent the 180 Center’s 18-month discipleship program, which provided him with a place to stay. After successfully completing the program, he went on to become a staff member of the center. 

“I’m talking from a place where I can relate to their pain and their suffering on an experiential level,” Natter said. 

While four of the six warming centers operating this year are open now, some centers are set to open later. The Columbus House warming center, located in the gymnasium of the Keefe Community Center, and the Youth Continuum center on Grand Avenue are set to open in early January.

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Beating out more than 6,000 charities, LEAP succeeded in a competitive application process with a 6 percent acceptance rate. Among the four Connecticut nonprofits selected for the grant, LEAP was the only organization based in New Haven. Eight months into receiving the donation, LEAP will direct the funds to their programming, improving finances and building infrastructure. 

Founded in 1992, LEAP stands for leadership, education and athletics in partnership. Its mission is to support New Haven’s children of color by offering them year-round neighborhood-based programs such as after-school and summer programming, leadership development workshops and physical recreational activities. 

With the increased budget, LEAP looks to increase its activities and programs for young people. 

“There will be improvements and/or expansions to different parts of programming that will create a better quality experience for everyone involved with LEAP,” Melissa Liriano, the organization’s communications coordinator, wrote to the News. 

The organization also hopes to strengthen its financial position, as it prepares to face a cut in $1.5 million of federal funding out of the operating budget of $7 million. With the awarded $2 million, the cut in federal funding will feel less steep. 

LEAP will also improve its infrastructure and create more efficient data systems to oversee attendance and improve communication with families and donors.

Reflecting on the grant application process, Henry Fernandez, LEAP’s executive director, believes that LEAP stands out because it is a community-centered organization powered and led by people of color.  The organization is also one of the largest youth employers in the city, employing over 200 young people through a multi-tier mentorship model.

Children aged 7 to 12 participate in the children’s program and can go on to become compensated as leaders in training, junior counselors and senior counselors. The organization attempts to support children at all stages of life.

In LEAP’s Jefferson Street office hangs a framed picture of a young girl with her friends. The girl in the picture is China Lewis, who began participating in LEAP as a young child. Now, she is a senior counselor for LEAP and an undergraduate student at Southern Connecticut State University. 

“I feel like I’m making a difference with what I’m doing,” Lewis said. “I just hope that the kids I’m working with will remember me when they’re older.”

At LEAP, Lewis promotes literacy among 7 to 8-year-old girls by reading out loud, leading group readings and offering instruction in phonics. As a mandated reporter, she also watches out for the kids’ well-being and plays an involved role in their lives. Upon graduating from SCSU in December, Lewis will continue her work at LEAP into the spring. 

“We’re listeners,” she said. “People that don’t just do it for the money.”

LEAP is also well-connected to other nonprofits in the city, such as the Dixwell Community House. 

Through a five-year contract with the city of New Haven that was unanimously approved by the Q House Advisory Board, LEAP operates all of its programs at the Q House free of charge, according to Liriano.

Currently, LEAP is working with the Q House to host events like tutoring initiatives and a college fair for LEAP middle school and high school students. In February, LEAP will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its Annual LEAP Year Event, the organization’s biggest fundraiser, which will be held at the Q House as well. 

MacKenzie Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has donated over $17 billion to non-profits since 2020.

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The Community Health Care Van, or CHCV, is a mobile clinic that has provided “non-judgmental, low-barrier” health care to New Haveners for decades. The van began as a mobile addiction treatment van in 1993, part of one of the first sterile syringe services programs in the country. 

In the ’90s, Dr. Rick Frederick Lewis Altice was an intern and resident at the Yale School of Medicine, interested in reducing HIV transmission by circulating sterile syringes. He created the van to bridge the gap between patients and traditional healthcare spaces for the greater purpose of harm reduction. 

“I established the CHCV to anchor the syringe services program,” he said. “So that there would be availability [of sterile syringes] that is friendly, meeting people on their own turf, and patient-centered care.” 

Three decades later, the van has expanded to meet the broader healthcare needs of the community, while staying true to its value of providing low-barrier access to healthcare. Currently, the van offers a wide array of services as a walk-in clinic parked in high-risk areas with high rates of infectious diseases or chronic conditions, Deidre Gruber, a family nurse practitioner who began working for the van in 2023, said.

The CHCV provides primary care services, rapid testing for diseases like Hepatitis C and HIV, pregnancy tests, addiction treatment, drug checking and mental health support. The van continues to offer its syringe services program as well. 

Angel Ojeda, a research assistant at the School of Medicine, oversees the van’s operations and has worked on the ground to deliver those services to patients for 19 years. 

Most patients, Ojeda explains, come to the CHCV to drop off their used syringes. When patients visit, Ojeda offers them supplies — such as sterile syringes, alcohol pads and cotton balls — for safe drug use and encourages them to undergo rapid testing. Ojeda has also drawn blood for patients seeking bloodwork and STI testing. The van is equipped to get patients who test positive for a disease to start treatment immediately. 

“Having on-demand services is very important,” Ojeda said. “If somebody comes in and they need a vaccine, [we] make sure those vaccines are available for them immediately.”

Since the pandemic, the CHCV has worked to enhance its mental health support services as well. Gruber has frequently encountered mental health issues when working on the van. 

The CHCV has had to adapt to logistical setbacks, including relocations due to changes in building ownership. Previously, the CHCV parked in the parking lot at Ferry Street and Grand Avenue, but the property’s new owners did not want the van parked there anymore, forcing the CHCV to park at Pine Street and Ferry Street instead. 

Ojeda explained that the change was detrimental, as the previous location was a high-risk area and hot spot for the van’s visitors. As a result, the van has experienced reduced patient turnout. 

CHCV has also debated the best outreach and communication strategy. Although the van is running and active, the exact locations and times of the vans can be difficult to pinpoint due to the clinic’s mobile nature. For now, while the van’s schedule is a work in progress, the CHCV operates according to an electronic schedule and patients are encouraged to call ahead to confirm the van’s location. 

The van has increased its partnerships with organizations across the city, working with shelters and food pantries rather than going to the same location every day. 

Financially, the CHCV receives around $50,000-$70,000 from city funding, according to Altice, and mainly relies on federal grants to stay afloat. 

“We’re perpetually unstable, but we’ve been operating for over 30 years,” Altice explained. 

Still, Altice pointed to a positive relationship with the city and has felt appreciation from Mayor Justin Elicker, who he has on speed dial, for the van’s services. 

In a recent federal grant application, the CHCV wrote, “We are a centerpiece to the Mayor’s overdose prevention team and coordinate activities within the city of New Haven, where we have a longstanding relationship with the [people who inject] community and a range of service organizations.”

Despite challenges and changes, staffers like Ojeda remain committed to the mission of the CHCV. He explained that developing a personal connection to the people he serves in the community is a gift. 

“I like giving back to my community,” he said. “I feel like I make a difference, where I’m able to help people from rock bottom and help people get clean and get back on their meds.”

The Community Health Care Van runs from Mondays through Fridays.

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For 100 years, the Dixwell Community House has served the Black communities of the Dixwell and Newhallville neighborhoods, providing after school programs for children and fitness and arts activities for all age groups — to name just a few of their initiatives. Last Friday, the House, also known as the Q House, celebrated its 100-year anniversary with over 100 community members in attendance to reflect on its legacy of service to New Haven. 

The history of the Dixwell Community House dates back to 1924, when it opened as a settlement house for African Americans migrating north from the South. After closing in 2003, the Q House re-opened in September 2021 and has since cemented itself as a community space dedicated to uplifting the Black community. Now, the House offers resources like a dance room, a senior center, art classes, financial literacy seminars and college fairs. 

“I think the reason why it’s still here is because it’s needed,” said Doris Dumas, president of the Greater New Haven branch of the NAACP. “It served the purpose that it was meant for, to have a place for our kids and for our seniors, for our communities to come together.”

For many community members, their own lived experiences form part of the Q House’s long history. Bud Mench, 57-year-old community member and gala attendee, shared how he used to lift weights at the House when he was a kid. Another community member, Chris Texeira, reflected on meeting his friends every weekend to play basketball at the House. 

Passing the torch to a younger generation, the Q House has solidified youth programming and prioritized activities for children. Dumas shared that the House is special to her because she grew up taking part in the House’s after school activities and now, she brings her own children to the programs. 

The Q House is also committed to making the space a place where youth voices are heard. 

Jacqueline Bracey, who served on the board of directors of Q House from 1969 to 1977 and was a distinguished honoree at the gala, explained that she is interested in hearing what young people have to say. 

“I’m a strong advocate for letting them know that it’s alright to argue — that their point of view is equally important,” Bracey said. 

Along with community members and youth, the city is also a major stakeholder in the operations of the Q House. In 2013, New Haven purchased the old Q House property and after finding it unusable, demolished the building and constructed the facility that stands today.

At the gala, Mayor Justin Elicker shared that the Q House has had a profound impact on the community as a home for people that may be struggling or do not have a home. Elicker, who appoints members of the Q House board, explained that he is proud of the House’s many activity offerings and the Q House Board’s dedication to the community. 

“You almost don’t have words to describe the impact that the Q house has had on the community for 100 years,” Elicker said. “It’s the spirit of a welcoming place that focuses on young people having safety around adults and mentors.” 

Among the event’s many sponsors included the Cornell Scott Hill Health Center and The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. 

The Dixwell Community House is located on 197 Dixwell Ave.

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