Hispanic Heritage Month is here! The US is a nation of immigrants, 64 million of whom are Hispanic! As we celebrate, we also want to acknowledge the hardships and needs of this community.
Hispanic immigrants are more likely than other immigrant groups to have limited English proficiency, be noncitizens, have lower incomes, lack health insurance and have lower levels of educational attainment. About a quarter are likely undocumented. Immigration is a traumatic experience for many immigrant families and children. Fleeing persecution or natural disasters, experiencing violence during their journey, and the stress of adjusting to a new life in the U.S. can take a toll on mental health.
Despite such challenges, they remain resilient and optimistic. And, there are individuals and organizations dedicated to helping them thrive like our Safe from the Start Coalition member agency, Partners for Our Communities.
“At POC, we are proud of all the work we do, but the Access to Justice Program holds a special place in my heart,” Director of Immigrant Programs Liza Gutierrez shared. “Launched in 2019, Access to Justice aims to provide much-needed immigration relief to the nearly 500,000 people in Illinois living and working without legal status. This is done via nonprofits across Illinois including POC. Through this program, POC educates the northwest suburban community on immigrant rights, renter's rights for immigrants, asylum, and general immigration topics. Our Access to Justice navigators are women from the affected communities, whom we train to deliver these vital presentations. In addition to educating, they connect clients to resources and, most importantly, accompany them to legal immigration clinics.”
Gutierrez explained further: “POC hosts up to six legal immigration clinics each month, offering free services to low-income individuals seeking mmigration relief. We partner with Access to Justice legal service providers to bring free immigration representation to the northwest suburbs. In the coming months, we will offer even more clinics focused on TPS (Temporary Protected Status), asylum and employment authorization. Additionally, we work closely with POC case managers to ensure wraparound social services are available not just for immigrants, but for anyone in need of our assistance.”
We are exceedingly grateful for the work that POC has done and continues to do and appreciate their partnership within the communities that we serve!
For more information, contact Liza Gutierrez at: LizaG@partnersforourcommunities.org | 847-847-4475 | 847-776-9500
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