Hispanic Liaison co-hosts virtual workshop on resources for Spanish-speaking families
By VICTORIA JOHNSON
The Hispanic Liaison and N.C. Justice Center hosted a virtual workshop Monday night to outline financial assistance programs available to Chatham’s Spanish-speaking families, regardless of immigration status.
Held through Facebook Live, the workshop included three speakers: moderator Ilana Dubester, the Hispanic Liaison’s executive director, and presenters Stephanie Watkins-Cruz, a county policy analyst, and Kate Woomer-Deters, a Justice Center attorney.
Mortgage, rent and utilities
For help with mortgage, rent and utilities payments, Watkins-Cruz said families can apply to three organizations: Chatham’s Department of Social Services (DSS), Central Piedmont Community Action (CPCA) and the Salvation Army.
The easiest way to apply for help from DSS, she said, is to call (919) 548-7832 and ask for a Spanish speaker. Among other things, officials will ask for applicants’ basic information, monthly or weekly income, where they work, what kind of assistance they need and why.
“They’re very, very simple questions,” Watkins-Cruz said.
Applicants should usually hear back from DSS within a week, she added, and people may only apply once, save for emergencies.
“For people who don’t have documents, yes, you can apply for these resources,” she said, adding: “They’re only going to ask what you need, and the payment goes directly to the electricity and water companies or to the person who pays your rent or to the bank for your mortgage. There’s no charge that’s going to surprise you after you receive these resources.”
CPCA asks applicants to provide two forms of ID, but individuals don’t need to provide Social Security numbers. Instead, they can provide anything from a work permit to a passport to a birth certificate. The Salvation Army does ask for applicants’ Social Security numbers, but Watkins-Cruz said they’ll still try to connect those who don’t qualify with other resources.
Of these three, only DSS is still accepting applications. Its application period ends Dec. 30. CPCA will reopen applications on Jan. 4; likewise, the Salvation Army will begin accepting new applications on Jan. 11.
“It’s not clear if (DSS’s program) will continue after this year,” she added, “so don’t wait if you need help.”
If people are facing immediate power or water shutoffs and won’t receive help in time, Dubester recommended that families talk to those companies and arrange a payment plan.
“So that they don’t cut off your utilities, it helps to call and arrange a payment plan,” she said. “Then that helps if they don’t cut off your services because after they shut them off, they charge you to put them back, and it’s an extra expense you will have.”
Food
According to Woomer-Deters, three public programs can help feed families during COVID-19, including the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer Program (P-EBT) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
WIC offers “food coupons” for certain types of food to pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and children under 5 years old. Any seeking to join this program should go to the county’s offices, she added.
“Immigration status of the mothers or their children doesn’t matter. The children can be undocumented, too,” she said. “There is no qualification for immigration status in this program, so everyone can benefit.”
Likewise, a new program created during the pandemic, P-EBT, offers food money to families with children in schools, but their children must participate or have participated in the school’s free or reduced-price meal program. Children enrolled in this program in the past also automatically qualify.
“You should have received a card in the spring that gives you money to buy food,” she said. “This program offers about $6 a day for each kid, so … for every day that your kid would have been in school — there are almost 20 school days a month — then each child can receive more than $100 a month.”
Families can only buy certain types of food with these cards, she added; they can’t buy prepared food from restaurants. If families have questions about their eligibility, they can call 1 (866) 719-0141. Immigration status doesn’t factor into program eligibility.
SNAP also offers families money to buy certain kinds of food.
“With this program, it’s necessary to have a legal status,” she said. “So the children must have a legal status. They have to be citizens or have green cards, but parents don’t need a legal status because they’re not the ones participating. Their kids are.”
‘Public charge’
The workshop ended with a discussion of “public charge,” which Woomer-Deters defined as an evaluation the government performs when an individual applies for a green card or some other immigration status. Dubester said this concept prevents many immigrants from considering public assistance.
“Many immigrants are concerned about using government aid or aid even from organizations because of all the talk of … the public charge,” she said. “Meaning, if one asks for help, that can affect their application with immigration, or if they have a pending application or have plans to apply in the future.”
But Woomer-Deters made it clear that most immigrants don’t need to worry about it. Only a few programs, including SNAP, hurt immigration applications, she said, and it’s a short list.
“If your children or family members are using public benefits, the government does not count that in any negative way against your immigration application,” she said. “In other words, children and relatives can use whatever benefits they need and it does not affect their mom or dad or other members of their family who are seeking a green card.”
To watch the full video, visit the N.C. Justice Center’s Facebook page and click on the video named “Recursos Para La Familia Durante COVID-19.”
