Emily Knapton

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Sep 13, 2024, 12:13 PM

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Updated

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A panel discussion was hosted by Opening Doors Initiative and The Housing Collective Friday at Christ & Holy Trinity Church in Westport to discuss how to better serve undocumented immigrants.

Panelists looked at services available in Fairfield County for new arrivals to the U.S. and how to build trust with clients who have immigrants.

Officials say there has been an increase in undocumented immigrants entering the homeless population who are coming to U.S. with nothing.

"We used to see a wave of people who came and had family and friends and were able to stay with them," says Jessica Kubicki, chief initiative officer for Opening Doors at The Housing Collective. "But we've seen a really significant increase over the last couple of years of people who are fleeing for their lives and safety and are coming here with absolutely nothing."

The Opening Doors Initiative, an initiative of the Housing Collective, is dedicated to the coordination of homelessness emergency response systems.