As the coronavirus pandemic upends the nation’s economy and leaves many without work, undocumented immigrants are particularly vulnerable. On this page you’ll find resources to help undocumented community members and the uninsured.

UndocuFund for Disaster Relief in Sonoma County

The UndocuFund, founded in 2017 after the Tubbs fire to provide direct assistance to undocumented victims, was reactivated as the COVID-19 pandemic intensified.

However, due to “an overwhelming number of applicants,” the wait list to apply to receive assistance has been closed. “We continue to work on raising funds to provide aid to those that have requested it,” their website reads. “At this point we are not sure if we will be able to reopen the list. Check back soon.”

La Luz Center

During the COVID-19 crisis, La Luz Center has been designated an “essential business” by the County of Sonoma and will remain a vital resource for those in need. La Luz helps keep the local Latino community informed and connected, assists with applications for public benefits, and assists with emergency relief through their crisis fund.

California Resources

Eligible individuals must be able to provide information that they (1) are an undocumented adult (person over the age of 18); (2) are not eligible for federal COVID-19 related assistance, like the CARES Act tax stimulus payments or pandemic unemployment benefits; and, (3) have experienced a hardship as a result of COVID-19. Eligible individuals must provide information and documents to verify your identity, home or mailing address, and to show you have been impacted by COVID-19.

There is a $1,000 limit per household. Funding will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. More information about the program can be found on the state's website.

Health care: Regardless of your health insurance status, California is waiving all costs associated with the screening and testing of COVID-19. Find more information about access to health care here.

Ca.gov: California Immigrant Guide (COVID-19)

Medi-Cal for the Undocumented Community

Information on Medi-cal and the undocumented community

California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance

CIYJA compiled a list resources for undocumented people including: food, department of health information in multiple languages, eviction help, help with waiving gas payments, resource centers, mental health resources

Immigrants Rising: Tangible Support for Immigrant Communities During COVID-19

Immigrants Risings put together a list of resources for the undocumented community including health access, employee rights and ways to support small businesses and freelancers.

Bay Area COVID-19 Relief Application for Migrant Youth Community

Bay Area COVID-19 Relief Application for Migrant Youth Community: Qualifications

• Migrant youth (15-30 years old) or Migrant guardian of youth (aged 0-20)
• Affected by the shelter-in-place order in the following counties: Alameda, San Francisco, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Marin San Mateo

Apply: https://tinyurl.com/COVIDMigrantYouthRelief, to donate: https://eastoaklanddreamers.org

CHIRLA Coronavirus Hotline from CHIRLA

Hotline for undocumented immigrants that have questions regarding Coronavirus/COVID-19

Freedom Community Clinic: COVID-19 Bay Area Community Resources + Up-to-Date Health Information

This is a living document from the Freedom Community Clinic on mass resources in the Bay Area during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are community members who hope to bring love and health during this time. 

Legal Aid at Work: Employment Rights for Undocumented Workers in CA

A guide detailing what employment rights undocumented workers have in CA. 

Relief Funds for Undocumented Workers in California

A list of relief funds for undocumented workers in California

CHIRLA Community Education Page: Coronavirus COVID-19

Information for immigrants in California during the Coronavirus outbreak

Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR): COVID-19 RESOURCES

GCIR is closely monitoring the COVID-19 outbreak, with a focus on how it is impacting immigrants and how philanthropy is addressing that impact. We will be continually updating this page with relevant and useful resources, as well as webinars and other programs. We are currently working on funding recommendations and will post them shortly.

National Resources

IRS Tax Filing Extensions

Need more time to prepare your federal tax return? This page provides information on how to apply for an extension of time to file.

United We Dream Undocu Friendly Care Centers

United We Dream compiled a list of healthcare centers accessible to the undocumented community.

Betancourt Macias Family Emergency Fund

Fund for undocumented folks who have been impacted by COVID-19. People can donate or apply to receive the fund.

COVID-19 Resources for Undocumented Immigrants

List of resources for undocumented immigrants facing COVID-19

ImmSchools: Supporting Undocumented Students & Families During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Resource guide for teachers, schools staff, principals and others serving the immigrant community in schools.

National Domestic Workers Alliance: Coronavirus Care Fund

The Coronavirus Care Fund was established by the National Domestic Workers Alliance to provide emergency assistance for home care workers, nannies and house cleaners to support them in staying safe and staying home to slow the spread of the coronavirus, and to care for themselves and their families. 

Qualifying applicants who are experiencing financial hardship due to the coronavirus pandemic can receive $400 in emergency assistance from the Fund.

At this time, the Coronavirus Care Fund application is open to domestic workers who have participated in activities of the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), NDWA chapters, affiliate organizations, circles and current Alia users.

We will open the Fund for applications from other domestic workers as soon as funding allows. If you do not currently qualify to apply, please complete the form below. We will let you know as soon as the Fund is open to all domestic workers.

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network: Parent/Caregiver Guide to Helping Families Cope with the Coronavirus Disease

Provides information for parents and caregivers about infectious disease outbreaks in your community. Knowing important information about the outbreak and learning how to be prepared can reduce stress and help calm likely anxieties. This resource will help parents and caregivers think about how an infectious disease outbreak might affect their family— both physically and emotionally—and what they can do to help their family cope.

Provides information for parents and caregivers about infectious disease outbreaks in your community. Knowing important information about the outbreak and learning how to be prepared can reduce stress and help calm likely anxieties. This resource will help parents and caregivers think about how an infectious disease outbreak might affect their family— both physically and emotionally—and what they can do to help their family cope.

NILC: Update on Access to Health Care for Immigrants and Their Families

In this difficult time, we want to provide some reminders about access to health care for immigrants and their family members, including new funding that Congress recently made available for coronavirus testing.

One Fair Way Emergency Fund

Are you a service worker struggling amidst the coronavirus crisis? We’re here to help!

We are actively raising money for this emergency fund and will be making temporary cash gifts to workers as funding becomes available. This information collected will only be used for the purposes of communicating with you for follow-up steps. We are receiving a significant number of applications, so we appreciate your understanding.

Asylum Connect Verified LGBTQ+ Affirming and Immigrant Friendly Resources Providing Services During COVID-19

We have included a list highlighting the verified LGBTQ+ affirming and immigrant friendly resources continuing to offer help (either in-person or virtually) in the United States during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Whether you are seeking LGBTQ+ asylum or undocumented, a LGBTQ+ student impacted by early school and dorm closures, or simply in need of a free LGBTQ+ affirming service, AsylumConnect is here for you during this crisis.

*Check our free resource website and mobile app for more detailed information on each verified direct service provider listed below.

This list will be updated regularly by the AsylumConnect team during the COVID-19 pandemic. Contact us here or leave a comment on this post if you know of a LGBTQ+ and immigrant friendly resource that should be added to this list.

Immigrant Connections: English Learner Family Engagement During Coronavirus

Resources for English Learner students.

NAKASEC Community Resources for COVID-19

A list of national and regional community resources.

My Undocumented Life: Resources for Undocumented Immigrants and their Families During COVID-19

At My Undocumented Life we have compiled a list of resources and news that can help undocumented and mixed-status families during the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. We update this page frequently so be sure to bookmark it and share it with your networks!

Mutual Fund for Latina/os/x Elders

Fill out this short form to make cash, groceries, or help requests. Application closes April 4th at 12 pm. During the first phase we will try to fund between $100-250.

ROC RELIEF

In this time of crisis, Restaurant Opportunities Centers United is providing resources and financial assistance to restaurant workers impacted by the coronavirus crisis.

Southern Smoke Emergency Relief Program

Southern Smoke is a nonprofit 501c3 charitable foundation. Our Emergency Relief Program provides emergency funding to those employed by or own restaurants or bars or are employed by a restaurant or bar supplier that are faced unforeseen expenses that cannot or will not be covered by insurance. We stand with those in our community and are committed to “taking care of our own”.

Application Verification and Award process: Each application will be verified by the Executive Director or a committee of volunteers. Once applications are verified, the application will be distributed to a separate Awards Committee. The Awards Committee will be made up of trusted community members. The Awards Committee will select awardees by vote and will determine the awarded amount to be distributed. All funds granted are subject to taxation to the greatest extent of the law.

Please fill out the following application if you believe you meet the necessary criteria for Southern Smoke’s Emergency Relief Fund. Please only apply if insurance is not providing you with compensation for your emergency.

Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation: COVID-19 RESOURCES AND INFORMATION

We are a nationwide community dedicated to making the restaurant industry more hospitable to everyone.

Contra COVID

Contra COVID is an organization dedicated to helping Latino and immigrant families during this pandemic

We are a group of students and professionals from Harvard Medical School and medical institutions around the country who are dedicated to ensuring that Latino and immigrant individuals have the information they need to protect themselves and their families

Our Mission:

We work hard to provide timely culturally relevant health and social information in an easily accessible format for communities across the nation

Our Vision:

To provide people of all backgrounds  the information, health, and social resources they need to thrive during times of hardship

Techqueria COVID-19 Fund Application for the Undocumented Community

Techqueria is launching a fund to support undocumented members of our community and beyond who are negatively impacted by COVID-19. Apply by clicking on the link.

By Elizabeth Aguilera, CalMatters

Californians struggling to juggle going to work at hospitals, fire stations and grocery stores while worrying about child care are the intended beneficiaries of a new executive order Gov. Gavin Newsom signed over the weekend.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the order will allow state agencies to waive regulations, offer state-subsidized child care and placement priority to parents deemed essential workers, and allow some after-school child care options to be open during what used to be regular school hours.

“This is a matter of paying for it or matching up child care with essential workers who need it,” said Kim Kruckel, executive director of the Child Care Law Center in Berkeley. “What the governor’s order does is make it possible for our state agencies to use federal and state child care money to pay for the child care of the children of essential workers.”

Essential workers are responsible for hundreds of thousands of children in California. Health care workers alone have more than 305,000 children under the age of 12, according to an analysis using U.S. Census data done by researchers from Yale University and Colorado State University. And all those children require care.

(Image: Joshua Martin and his two children, 4-year-old Olivia and 9-year-old Matthew, play Jumanji with their grandmother Shelley McCall. Photo courtesy the Martin Family)

Kruckel said she thinks there are enough licensed child care operators to meet the need without waiting for new pop-up centers. There are 10,770 licensed child care centers and 25,940 licensed family child care homes in California, according to statistics from Kids Data, a clearinghouse of child health information in Palo Alto.

It’s unclear if child care for these critical workers will be entirely free — but this opens a pathway for many to qualify for help, Kruckel said. To be financially eligible for state-subsidized child care in California, a household can’t exceed 85% of the state’s median income, or about $70,000 for a family of three, she said.

Under the order, the state departments of Education and Social Services must release specific guidance by Tuesday.  Social Services oversees all licensing for child care centers and family day care sites.

The state will allow agencies to waive administrative and other rules — cutting paperwork for example — for child care programs, and funding tied to eligibility that might prohibit some families from enrolling.

One thing that won’t change: the pre-existing priority for children who have been abused or neglected.

Newsom’s executive order aims to provide clarity for child care providers who’ve asked the state for help figuring out whether to stay open, if they can prioritize the kids of essential workers, and if they can expand their licenses intended for younger kids to also take in school-aged children.

State agencies now say they’ll provide detailed guidance to child care providers about how to limit the number of children grouped together under their care, keep meals and snacks safe, screen the health of staff and children, and ensure the kids practice physical distancing.

“The Executive Order aims to give health care workers and other critical infrastructure workers peace of mind, knowing child care services are considered part of the essential infrastructure and programs are available,” emailed Scott Murray, spokesman for the Social Services Department. “Most importantly, this will reduce disruption to California’s children, who will continue to have access to child care and development opportunities, with stable and consistent routines to minimize and reduce stress in uncertain times when children and families are enduring life changing adverse experiences.”

Whether school districts will use the executive order to provide child care is unknown. Los Angeles Unified School District had planned to open 40 child care centers when it first announced the closure of regular school, but the district quickly canceled that plan, instead opening “grab and go” sites to distribute food. District leaders have said they changed direction under the advisement of public health officials. District spokeswoman Barbara Jones said in an email Sunday that the district had no response yet to the governor’s order.

Health care and other essential workers have been scrambling for child care since schools shut down several weeks ago and many child care and preschool centers closed their doors. Some parents who have to care for coronavirus patients or who are driving ambulances or delivering food have left their kids with extended family members or relied on a partner now working from home, among other stopgap measures. If those options aren’t available, some may also be taking time away from work if they have no other options, experts said.

“Obviously having resources that haven’t been an option to our nurses and other health care workers is always helpful, especially when nurses work odd hours and late nights,” said Stephanie Roberson, spokeswoman for the California Nurses Association. She said ensuring flexibility is vital because nurses often work varying shifts and can be called in on a moment’s notice.

For health care workers, this could be a great relief, said Joshua Martin, a licensed vocational nurse working in a Kaiser hospital. He and his wife Stacy McCall-Martin, a mental health therapist, are both essential workers. They struggled to arrange child care options for their two kids the first two weeks school was out.

First, they traded taking days off. Then they tried finding a sitter or nanny but discovered that was going to be too expensive. Finally, McCall-Martin’s mother ended up watching the children, although Joshua and Stacy worry about her health because she is over 60.

Martin said the help from the state is welcome, but he would still be very careful about selecting a center to care for his children.

“It would take away from having to spend the money, and my mother-in-law would be safer. It would be a blessing,” he said. “It’s very stressful wondering about the children and worrying about how long this is going to go on.”

Steve Trossman, spokesman for SEIU-United Health Care Workers, which represents 97,000 hospital workers across the state including Martin, said members are waiting for the details of the order.

“We are glad to see the governor taking action on a problem that has created high levels of stress and anxiety among health care workers and other essential employees, who in too many cases are being asked to choose between taking care of people with COVID-19 and making sure their kids are safe,” Trossman said.

Last week the union released the results of a survey of 565 workers across the state that showed 80% of the health care workers said child care is one of their top challenges and undermining their ability to work, along with senior care. Eight in 10 of the respondents said they have kids younger than 14 at home and 63% said they are “scrambling” to find child care daily.

Other states have faced similar challenges and suspended certain regulations like zoning requirements in order to ease the burden. Here, the city of San Francisco has opened child care centers for essential workers in libraries and recreation centers. 

“It’s incredibly important for child care to be opened up for essential health care workers,” said Walter Gilliam, a professor of child psychiatry and psychology at the Child Study Center at the Yale School of Medicine. “We need to make sure that our health care providers who are going to work worried about how to protect themselves are not additionally saddled with the burden of who is taking care of their children.”

 Gilliam said he applauds Newsom’s order, but said any efforts to do this still need to ensure the safety of children and staff.

“If you don’t do this right, you won’t be doing it long,” Gilliam said.

He also warned that the state also needs to have a Plan B ready when teachers and other child care workers get sick.

CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.