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  • State Government
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State Fund Providing Coronavirus Relief For Undocumented Immigrants Overwhelmed On First Day

  •  Sarah Mizes-Tan 
Tuesday, May 19, 2020 | Sacramento, CA
Damian Dovarganes / AP Photo

Pasadena day laborers and supporters hold a "COVID-19-safe car rally" to protest what they say is an exclusion of workers from financial protection for essential immigrant workers outside the city hall in Pasadena April 29, 2020.

Damian Dovarganes / AP Photo

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $75 million fund for coronavirus disaster relief for the state’s undocumented immigrants opened for applications on Monday, and the system was immediately flooded. 

The fund was promised to give undocumented immigrants $500 to $1,000 in aid, as many are currently out of work and pay taxes, but were not eligible for federal stimulus money. According to a recent report by UC Merced’s Community and Labor Center, 22% of the job losses in the state have been from undocumented immigrants. 

But on the application’s first day, advocates reported that the system was overwhelmed and that many were concerned they wouldn’t receive any of the money. 

“We have been getting calls from garment workers all morning and hearing that the lines are fully saturated,” said Daisy Gonzales of the Garment Worker Center in Los Angeles. "Sounds like the line is disconnected so they’re not sure they have the right number. Sounds like there are thousands of people trying to get access to this relief."

In a state briefing last month, Gov. Newsom acknowledged the money would not be enough. 

“We are not here to suggest that $125 million is enough,” he said. “However, we are proud to be the first state in the nation to announce a project for direct disaster relief assistance to undocumented residents, and this assistance will certainly help these individuals and families during this pandemic.”

Sasha Feldstein of the California Immigrant Policy Center worried the money would not go very far. The Governor also said that private organizations would be raising $50 million in separate funds to help undocumented immigrants, but so far only about half that amount has been raised. 

“Five hundred to a thousand dollars won’t even cover one month of rent, and there are people who have been struggling for a couple months now with the shutdown happening in March, and it’s not enough to cover everyone who’s ineligible for federal stimulus money,” Feldstein said. 

Undocumented immigrants interested in applying for the money can reach out to the following organizations to put in an application:

Northern California:

California Human Development Corporation

(707) 228-1338 www.californiahumandevelopment.org/

Covering Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Napa, Nevada, Pleasure, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma Tehama, Trinity

Bay Area:

Catholic Charities of California

Alameda and Contra Costa: www.cceb.org

Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo

Santa Clara chapter 

Central Coast:

Mixteco / Indígena Community Organizing Project (MICOP)

Santa Barbara: (805) 519-7776

Ventura: (805) 519-7774

Community Action Board Santa Cruz

(800) 228-6820 

Covering Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz

Central Valley:

United Farm Workers Foundation (UFWF)

(877) 527-6660 

Covering Ash, Kern, Kings, Wood, Merced, Tulare and Mono

California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation (CRLAF)

(877) 557-0521 

Covering Mariposa, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tuolumne Yolo and Yuba

Los Angeles and Orange County:

Asian Americans Advancing Justice

(213) 241-8880 

Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)

(213) 201-8700 

Los Angeles Central American Resource Center (CARECEN)

(213) 315-2659 

Inland Empire:

San Bernardino Community Service Center

(888) 444-0170, (909) 521-7535 

Covering Inyo, Riverside, San Bernardino

TODEC Legal Center Perris

(888) 863-3291 

Covering Inyo, Riverside, San Bernardino

San Diego and Imperial County

Jewish Family Service of San Diego

Imperial County: 760-206-3242

San Diego County: 858-206-8281

 

To be eligible, individuals must provide proof that they’ve experienced financial hardship, and be over the age of 18. The funds are being distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis through June 30, or until money runs out. 


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    More about Coronavirus

  • NIAID-RML via AP

    Coronavirus In California: Latest Updates And Resources

    The coronavirus has impacted nearly every aspect of life in California and around the world. Here are resources and all our coverage at CapRadio and NPR.

 Coronavirus

Sarah Mizes-Tan

Race and Equity Reporter

As CapRadio’s Race and Equity reporter, I focus on reporting on these particular groups of people who make up much of the fabric of Sacramento and how they are affected by policy changes at the city level.  Read Full Bio 

 @sarah_mizes_tan Email Sarah Mizes-Tan

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