Legal Aid Society
The Legal Aid Society is a national organization with headquarters in New York that addresses a range of state and national concerns, including immigration. This group helps low-income immigrants seek for citizenship, establish legal status, and defends against deportation. It also offers legal services for a range of urgent immigration issues, such as family reunification.
Parents who are not citizens can also get their help with advance planning from them. Please give the number below a call if you need assistance. The helpline is open from 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday, and interpreters are on hand to assist those who do not speak English.
Website: Legal Aid Society
Immigration Law Unit Helpline: (844) 955 – 3425
Catholic Charities USA
Affordable housing, integrated health care, mental and physical health, food and nutrition, and disaster relief are just a few of the many services offered by Catholic Charities USA that can be of use to you. Immigrants and refugees are among the many vulnerable groups who can access these programs.
For immigrants and refugees in need, they have a program especially created for them. This program is divided into two primary sections. The first section promotes laws that safeguard immigrants and families upon their entry into the country.
Important services are given to immigrants and refugees directly by the second section. Citizenship education, community outreach, community education, and legal and immigration services are some of these services. These services are available to non-Catholics as well.
Website: https://freefinancialhelp.net/
The phone number depends on your location, but you can find all that information on their website.
How to Get Help from United Way
The United Way Charity is a humanitarian organization rather than a political one. They do not restrict help to US citizens or permanent residents. Donations from affluent individuals and philanthropists from throughout the county serve as its foundation. For undocumented workers, the charity provides rental assistance and security deposit payments.
Various states have local agencies that you can get assistance from. Certain organizations, like the United Way of California, get a lot of money from private citizens and business owners. The group is better positioned to provide financial aid to undocumented immigrants. Regular immigrants who are unable to pay their rent are also assisted by it.
The charity’s ability to assist, nevertheless, is reliant on the amount of money they get. In the event that you are an undocumented immigrant experiencing financial difficulties, it is still a good idea to apply for rental aid. Those in need can simply obtain application forms, and applications are processed in order of receipt.
Head Start Meal Program for Immigrant Workers
Under the federal government’s Head Start program, unauthorized immigrants under the age of five are intended to get food. The program also provides cash for school enrollment. Head Start participants are eligible to receive free school lunches as well as out-of-school meal stamps. It is one of the few government initiatives that provides unauthorized immigrants with significant benefits.
To find out if their children are eligible for Head Start, immigrant workers can visit the website. Parents can apply for their children to be enrolled in the program by downloading the application.
How Churches Help Undocumented Immigrants
Churches are able to help immigrants both legal and illegal since they do not discriminate based on a person’s age, country, religion, or immigration status. The Catholic Church and the Salvation Army are two examples of churches that run nationwide charitable organizations. Tithes, offerings, fundraising, and gifts are some of the ways that charities get funding.
You can apply for financial aid for meals or rental help by going to the Salvation Army or Catholic Church that is closest to you. But chances are you’ll be invited to stay in a shelter or visit soup kitchens until you find a new house. Undocumented immigrants can petition clergy to make their case to parish elders for financial assistance if they need money or to pay for a friend or family member’s medical expenses.
When possible, the outreach services offered by the majority of local programs assist people in need with food, rent, school supplies, and medical expenditures. Undocumented immigrants should first seek assistance from the church they regularly visit. For financial assistance, you can also ask your friends and coworkers to point you in the direction of a nearby Church-funded charity.
FEMA Disaster Assistance Program
As a component of national security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers a program that assists illegal people in times of need. They provide food, housing, and occasionally work possibilities to those going through the citizenship process.
The amount of money FEMA gives families is kept secret from the general public. Although the program’s main purpose is to assist during emergencies, you might get money to cover your rent or a coupon to purchase some necessities. The drawback is that many recipients of the aid will still have unresolved financial issues.
Applications for the programs are accepted from immigrants across the nation, and forms are available on the website. To find out more about the program or to get assistance filling out the applications, stop by the Homeland Security offices in your area.
Why doesn’t CARES help immigrants?
To assist people and families impacted by the pandemic, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed in 2020. To assist American individuals, the initiative was able to receive a substantial amount of cash from grants and the federal government.
Due to their non-citizenship, the immigrants were not qualified to receive the cash. At the time, there was no attempt by the government to put in place an assistance program for undocumented immigrants. During the pandemic, the majority of immigrants without green cards had to rely on charitable organizations to pay their rent or receive financial support, as well as free clinics for medical care.
How to Qualify for Immigrant Assistance
The majority of immigration-related programs have few application requirements. Even if they work for a different company, immigrants are still allowed to mention their place of origin and whatever identity documents they may have. Legally speaking, charities who assist undocumented immigrants are doing no wrong until the immigrant commits a crime.
The information that illegal immigrants are required to provide includes name, age, place of origin, number of persons living in each family, and justification for needing financial assistance. Immigrants without legal documentation find it difficult to maintain employment. As a result, the majority of people turn to financial assistance in order to meet their fundamental demands.
A few relief funds are being developed by the government to assist unauthorized immigrants in receiving assistance. Thanks to a Senate law, California now has the largest philanthropic fund for immigrants, both permanent and temporary. Financial aid applications can be made by immigrants without fear of deportation.
How Much Financial Help Can Undocumented Immigrants Get?
Cash help from immigrant charity ranges from $500 to $1,000 on average, depending on whether a household or an individual is applying. Financial aid ranging from $200 to $500 is what you should anticipate receiving based on the charity you apply to. You can get partial or whole assistance for paying your bills from the local community and church charity. For as long as you can afford the rent, you can locate cheap homes with assistance. If you require a lot of cash assistance, submit applications to different organizations and relief initiatives.
Can undocumented immigrants work?
Undocumented immigrants are not allowed to work in the United States because they do not have the required documentation from their home country or a work permit. The majority of undocumented immigrants choose odd jobs that pay cash and don’t maintain a worker registration. As a result, even if they are hired, they are unable to take use of the advantages. Furthermore, a person’s employment could terminate at any time, in which case they would need to find another way to support themselves.
In short…
Few government initiatives generally deal with the financial problems of unauthorized immigrants. Therefore, charities, community assistance programs, and churches are the ideal places for these newcomers to get financial aid. Rather than implementing initiatives to integrate irregular immigrants into the system, the government would deport them back to their nation of origin.
