COVID-19 Resources For Undocumented Californians

[vcex_spacing size=”15px”][vcex_heading text=”by CIYJA Staff” style=”bottom-border-w-color” tag=”h2″ italic=”true” text_align=”right” font_family=”Crimson Text” font_weight=”normal” text_transform=”none” color=”rgba(9,30,20,0.55)” css=”.vc_custom_1539289509003{padding-right: 25px !important;padding-left: 25px !important;}” font_size=”14″ inner_bottom_border_color=”#777777″][vcex_heading text=”Last updated: March 17, 2020″ tag=”h2″ text_align=”right” font_family=”Crimson Text” font_weight=”normal” text_transform=”capitalize” color=”rgba(9,30,20,0.55)” css=”.vc_custom_1539289521335{padding-right: 25px !important;padding-left: 25px !important;}” font_size=”14″][vcex_spacing size=”15px”][vc_column_text css_animation=”none” font_family=”Crimson Text” css=”.vc_custom_1540929993941{padding-right: 25px !important;padding-left: 25px !important;}” font_size=”d:16|tl:16|tp:16|pl:16|pp:16″]

***En español abajo.

As COVID-19, more commonly referred to as the “coronavirus,” begins to make its impact in the United States, we want to take this moment to remind undocumented youth and their families to prioritize their health to the best of their abilities.

Though health access for our community has been long fought for, there are still gaps that leave us specifically vulnerable to health threats, such as this pandemic. From medical neglect at private detention centers, to being less likely to be allowed to stay home from work, undocumented people face challenges that are specific to our community that we want to to address and ask allies to pay particular attention to amidst the panic.

Amongst these challenges, here are some of the obstacles that affect undocumented immigrants the most:

Not all of us can take paid time off.

As we use social distancing to minimize the risk of spreading the virus, this also means undocumented people might have had hours reduced at work, or have been completely cut off from being able to work. We understand that this might create financial instability, and want to encourage folks to utilize crowdsourcing online (using pages such as GoFundMe, or personal Venmo accounts) to reach out for support. If so, please feel free to tag CIYJA on any posts you would like us to uplift, and we would ensure to push out on our platforms. 

Cities like San Francisco are protecting tenants from evictions during these times, we want to also encourage folks to (safely) organize their apartment complexes, units, neighborhoods to demand landlords hold off on rent for the next few months as we collectively work through this pandemic. The governor of California has encouraged localities to halt evictions, slow foreclosures, and protect against utility shut offs during this time, so we encourage folks to reach out to landlords and inform them of this.

Additionally, this resource guide is an ongoing piece, so if folks are aware of any other resources that could provide monetary relief for these families, please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].

Limited health access for undocumented people, especially those detained.

Though the fight to provide health access to undocumented people continues to wage on, we still face certain gaps to getting the full coverage we deserve. However, we want to remind undocumented people that they still qualify for emergency Medi-Cal. This means that should a loved one (specifically immunodeficient individuals such as our elders or loved ones with diabetes) is experiencing flu-like symptoms, you should not hesitate to get them to get medical assistance in California!

For those who have loved ones that are detained, we want to affirm to you our commitment to demand their liberation. Detention facilities, especially private ones, are notorious for medical negligence. This is an opportunity for this country to act boldly in ensuring this global health crisis gets responded to with compassion and humanity. Help us demand they all be released by signing this petition!

Our families deserve to be healthy, together. The mental strain of separation is especially fervent during crises such as this, so make sure you’re checking in with your loved ones during this period of collective isolation.

CIYJA is committed to protecting our community’s health by doing the following: adhering to medical asks to keep our community safe; continuing to monitor ICE and the treatment of detained folks; uplifting crowdsourcing pages of community members who’ve lost their jobs during this time; sharing resources that are specific to the undocumented community; and sharing information that is not centered on panic, but awareness.

Especially in times of crisis, we remain committed to our abolitionist goals and in the liberation of our community. While we join efforts to self-isolate to protect the most vulnerable members of the community, we will continue to mobilize digitally to fight for a better world.  

RESOURCES:

1. FAQ sheets–Spanish, English, Portuguese
2. Undocumented workers’ rights in CA 
3. Basic information on coronavirus from the CDC (Spanish)
4. Basic information on coronavirus from Hesperian Health Guides (English, Spanish, Bengali, Chinese, Filipino, French, Urdu)
5. Flyer on coronavirus prevention from the CDC (Spanish)
6. Infographic on coronavirus from LA County Public Health (Spanish) 
7. Information on importance of handwashing from CDC (Spanish)
8. Resources, including general information, infographics, and tips for children and families (Spanish)

Northern California

1. Free food in Oakland 
2. Free breakfast and lunch in SF 
3. SF Dept. of Public Health information in multiple languages 
4. Cease executions of evictions in Alameda County 
5. Bay Area community resources and up-to-date health information
6. San Francisco Unified District Free Meals
7. Undocumented Fund in Sonoma County

Southern California

Los Angeles

1. SoCal Gas Waiving Payment – SoCal Gas

1. Free meals for LAUSD students at the Dream Center | 2301 Bellevue Ave. Los Angeles 90026
2. LAUSD will be opening 40 Family Resource Centers starting Wednesday, March 18th to provide | Families call line: (213) 443-1300 
   1. Childcare 
   2. Warm meals 
3. LA Mass Resources 
4. Mutual aid (cuidado comunitario) resources (Spanish)

Riverside

1. Alvord Unified offering meals 
2. Free meals at RUSD

Moreno Valley

1. Free meals for Moreno Valley students

Coachella

1. Coachella Valley Unified District Meal Distribution Program

Central Coast – Monterey County 

1. Soledad Unified School District food services during school closure 
2. Monterey County schools offering meal pick-up service during coronavirus closures.
3. The Food Bank for Monterey County can be reached at (831) 758-1523 or 353 W Rossi St., Salinas, CA 93907.

Central California 

1. Fresno Unified Student Meals and other helpful information
2. Mental Health and Healing resources including Central Valley by the CV Healing Collective (from Merced to Bakersfield) 

Statements and demands  to end immigration detention and incarceration: 

1. Human Impact Partner Taking Action for Health, Justice, and Belonging in the Age of COVID-19
2. Detention Watch Network #ReleaseThemAll: Organizational Sign on Letter – Response to Coronavirus for People Detained
3. Open Letter to ICE From Medical Professionals Urging the Release of Individuals in Immigration Detention Given the Risk of COVID-19
4. Human Impact Partners and Audit Ahern. #StopCOVID19InJails: Organizational Sign On Letter – Demands for Santa Rita Jail in Age of Coronavirus Pandemic

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A medida que COVID-19,  comúnmente conocido como el “coronavirus”, comienza a tener su impacto en los Estados Unidos, queremos aprovechar este momento para recordarle a los jóvenes indocumentados y sus familias que protejan su salud lo mejor que puedan.

Aunque se ha luchado por el acceso a la salud de nuestra comunidad, todavía hay brechas que nos dejan específicamente vulnerables a las amenazas a la salud, como esta pandemia. De la negligencia médica en los centros de detención privados hasta los efectos económicos de no poder trabajar, las personas indocumentadas enfrentan desafíos específicos que queremos recalcar..

Entre estos desafíos, estos son algunos de los obstáculos que más afectan a los inmigrantes indocumentados:

No todos podemos tomarnos tiempo libre pagado.

A medida que usamos el distanciamiento social para minimizar el riesgo de contraer  el virus, esto también significa que las personas indocumentadas pueden perder horas de trabajo o haber sido temporalmente dejadas de su trabajo. Entendemos que esto podría crear inestabilidad financiera, y queremos recomendar que utilicen el “crowdsourcing” (colaboración abierta/participativa) en línea (usando páginas como GoFundMe o cuentas personales de Venmo) para buscar ayuda. Si esto es lo que sus familias deciden, siéntanse libres de etiquetar a CIYJA en cualquier publicación que desee que elevemos, y nos aseguraremos de publicar en nuestras plataformas.

Ciudades como San Francisco están protegiendo a los inquilinos durante estos tiempos, también queremos recomendarles organizar (de forma segura) a los inquilinos de apartamentos, unidades y vecindarios para exigir que los propietarios no cobren renta los próximos meses mientras trabajamos colectivamente para superar esta pandemia. El gobernador de California ha alentado a las localidades a detener los desalojos, retrasar las ejecuciones hipotecarias y protegerse contra el cierre de servicios públicos durante este tiempo, por lo que guiamos a la gente a comunicarse con los propietarios e informarles sobre esto.

Esta guía de recursos es una pieza comunitaria, por lo que si la gente conoce otros recursos que podrían proporcionar un alivio monetario para estas familias, nos pueden contactar a [email protected].

Acceso a la ayuda médica para las personas indocumentadas es más complicada, especialmente las detenidas, ¡pero hay recursos!

Aunque la lucha para el acceso a la salud para las personas indocumentadas continúa, aún enfrentamos ciertas dificultades para obtener la cobertura completa que merecemos. Sin embargo, queremos recordarle a las personas indocumentadas que todavía califican para Medi-Cal de emergencia. Esto significa que si un ser querido (específicamente personas inmunodeficientes, como nuestros abuelos o seres queridos con diabetes) está experimentando síntomas similares a los de la gripe, ¡no debe dudar en pedir asistencia médica en California!

Para aquellos que tienen seres queridos que están detenidos, queremos darle nuestro compromiso de exigir su liberación. Los centros de detención, especialmente los privados, son notorias por negligencia médica. Esta es una oportunidad para que este país actúe audazmente para garantizar que esta crisis mundial de salud sea respondida con compasión y humanidad. ¡Ayúdenos a exigir que todos sean liberados firmando esta petición!

Nuestras familias merecen estar sanas, juntas. La tensión mental de la separación es especialmente ferviente durante una crisis como esta, así que asegúrese de consultar con sus seres queridos durante este período de aislamiento colectivo.

CIYJA se compromete a proteger la salud de nuestra comunidad haciendo lo siguiente: cumplir con las solicitudes médicas para mantener a nuestra comunidad segura; continuar monitoreando a ICE y el tratamiento de personas detenidas; publicar en nuestras plataformas las páginas de crowdsourcing de miembros de la comunidad que han perdido sus trabajos durante este tiempo; compartir recursos que son específicos de la comunidad indocumentada; y compartir información que no se centra en el pánico, sino en la conciencia.

Especialmente en tiempos de crisis, seguimos comprometidos con nuestros objetivos abolicionistas y para la liberación de nuestra comunidad. Mientras nos unimos a los esfuerzos para autoaislarnos y  proteger a los miembros más vulnerables de la comunidad, continuaremos movilizándonos digitalmente para luchar por un mundo mejor.