Relief for California’s undocumented workers on the ‘verge of failure,’ critics say
A coronavirus-relief program for California’s undocumented residents is on “the verge of failure,” just days after its launch, according to a letter sent Friday to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Monday marked the first day undocumented workers could apply for the one-time payment of $500 per individual or $1,000 per household.
A state official and an attorney on Monday told The Fresno Bee undocumented workers flooded the program’s website, causing it to crash for several hours. Hotlines from the 12 nonprofit organizations distributing the funds were “jammed,” and people couldn’t get through.
The organizations behind letter include the Center for Workers’ Rights. In the letter, the groups applauded Newsom for offering relief to undocumented workers but also expressed concerns about the management of the Disaster Relief Assistance for Immigrants (DRAI) program administered by the state’s Department of Social Services.
“Undocumented Californians face unreasonable barriers in accessing these much-needed resources,” the letter reads. “ We are writing to request that your office take immediate action to allow qualified Californians to access the DRAI.”
Newsom’s office could not immediately be reached for comment after business hours Friday.
The one-time relief payments come from the $125 million emergency fund created by Newsom; the taxpayers will pay $75 million, and the remaining $50 million will come from philanthropic donations. Newsom was sued over those funds by a conservative group, but the California Supreme Court dismissed the suit in early May.
There are an estimated 2 million undocumented residents in the state, and it’s been estimated that only some 150,000 workers will have access to the relief fund. The funds will be distributed through June 30 or when the money runs out.
Scott Murray, a spokesman for the state’s Department of Social Services, said as of late Friday, more than 18,500 applications for the aid had been opened statewide. The timing for approval will vary for each application. The number of individuals who have already received the money was not available on Friday.
Undocumented workers across the state tried to apply for the relief aid this week but encountered busy phone lines and long wait times. Some who managed to connect initially were disconnected after waiting on hold for more than three hours without speaking to an operator. Callers were unable to leave messages, according to the letter.
The inability to connect is “causing needless anxiety to the community.”
The 12 nonprofits tasked with distributing the funds are working under restrictive guidelines and were “inundated by calls” on Monday.
Some people said they called “over 200 times.”
Kim Ouillette, attorney, and fellow with Legal Aid At Work, which was not among the organizations that signed Friday’s letter, said the nonprofit has heard that it’s been “extremely hard” for people to get through to someone on the phones.
Legal Aid At Work is not among the 12 nonprofits, but it has a statewide workers’ hotline. Ouillette said staffers have been fielding calls all week, but they can only refer callers to one of those nonprofits.
Ouillette said she doesn’t blame the nonprofits as they are doing the best they can.
“There are millions that are trying to access it,” she said of the program. “It was set up not to work. The undocumented community is really desperate. They’ve been out of work for months, and this program sets them up to be struggling for the chance to receive $500, which is barely enough to sustain anyone for a week.”
Before aid can be issued, Murray said, applicants must submit verification documents to confirm eligibility.
“Nonprofits are working to set up additional phone lines for expanded capacity,” he said in an email. “The nonprofits have also all received grant funding from the Department to support the operational costs of delivering the application assistance and enrollment services.”
Unai Montes-Irueste, communications director for United Ways of California, said his organization has been working with local United Ways across the state to help people pay bills and rent and to keep families fed.
The coronavirus economic downturn, he said, is much different from the 2008 recession, which affected middle-class individuals the most. About 27% of people who have lost their jobs as a result of COVID-19 are low-income workers, he said, people who were living paycheck- to -paycheck and were already late on their rent.
If the state doesn’t do more to help the most in need, he said, the state’s recession from COVID-19 will be “deeper and longer than in other states because of the composition of our workforce.”
“We’ve been acting with a tremendous degree of urgency,” Montes-Irueste said. “We are not necessarily seeing .. the same kind of urgency in terms of like the governor sitting down with the Assembly and the Senate, and working to understand who is in the greatest position of need.”
In the letter, supporters asked Newsom to “loosen the ‘first come, first serve’ requirement” and allow the nonprofits to assess the priority needs of applicants and to grant the groups greater discretion to respond.
“Without these steps, undocumented Californians most in need of the DRAI funds will be left without support,” the letter reads.
Montes-Irueste said the $50 million that’s coming from philanthropic donations will be distributed by a separate group of organizations and will target specific groups, such as Black immigrants, indigenous workers, and LGBTQ immigrants.
Murray said in partnership with California philanthropy, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR) launched the California Immigrant Resilience Fund, which seeks to raise the additional $50 million.
This story was originally published May 22, 2020 at 7:18 PM with the headline "Relief for California’s undocumented workers on the ‘verge of failure,’ critics say."
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