Do you need help because of COVID-19? You could qualify for money from this Idaho fund
A new Idaho relief fund is accepting applications from immigrants and agricultural workers who need financial assistance because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The “Ayuda Para Nuestras Familias” relief fund (“Help For Our Families”) is accepting applications for financial aid until Friday, Sept. 25, according to a press release. To qualify, applicants must be an agricultural worker or an immigrant living in Idaho and experiencing financial hardship because of the pandemic.
The fund is administered by the Idaho Immigrant Resource Alliance, a group of nine Idaho nonprofits that formed to provide resources and rapid response needs to Idaho’s immigrant and farmworker communities during the pandemic. Some of the organizations within the alliance, like Vision 2C Resource Council, PODER of Idaho and the Community Council of Idaho, have distributed more than 9,000 face masks to farmworkers since the pandemic began.
The $2.2 trillion package Congress approved to offer financial help during the coronavirus pandemic in the spring excluded the millions of immigrants who do not have legal status in the U.S. but pay taxes, according to a May report from The Associated Press. More than a million other Americans didn’t receive stimulus checks because they were married to undocumented immigrants, or because they were not citizens, even though they were in the U.S. legally, according to CBS News.
“Many of Idaho’s agricultural and immigrant families have kept working despite the danger of exposure to COVID-19,” said the press release from Idaho Immigrant Resource Alliance. “... This pandemic has deemed these communities as essential. They put food on our tables as well as work in different industries to keep our economy going.”
Because of a high volume of applicants, not all who apply for financial relief may receive it, according to the release. Priority will be given to those who are undocumented; who have lost wages, hours or jobs due to COVID-19; those who are at high risk of contracting the virus; and those who have contracted COVID-19 or are caring for loved ones who have the virus.
To apply, go to https://communitycouncilofidaho.org/ayuda or contact the Community Council of Idaho at 208-454-1652 or 317 Happy Day Blvd, Suite 250 in Caldwell. Donations to the relief fund can also be made by contacting the Community Council of Idaho.
Applications will be accepted in English and Spanish.
This story was originally published September 21, 2020 at 6:01 PM.
