LYNN — “I’m struggling for food and basic needs right now,” she said. “I’m very scared.”
She is a Lynn resident and undocumented immigrant from Guatemala who detailed how she is struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. She wished to remain anonymous when speaking with The Item, and will be referred to as Mary for the purpose of this article. Her quotes have been translated from Spanish by Essex Media Group’s Community Relations Director Carolina Trujillo.
Mary, a single mother and the head of her household, has lost her job as a restaurant worker during the pandemic. She has been out of work for two months, and was able to find some help, but it isn’t enough to get by.
Mary is confirmed to be an undocumented immigrant by MassUndocuFund, an organization providing money to undocumented immigrants during COVID-19. She received $300 from MassUndocuFund, after a friend and attorney were able to connect her with the organization, and spent all of it on food.
“I am very, very grateful I was able to get the funds,” Mary said. “I am using food pantries and churches for more food, and I am struggling day-to-day.”
Mary said it is especially challenging to reach out for help because she does not speak English. The fact that she had a job, and that there is a moratorium on evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, are of no comfort. She said when things go back to “normal,” she will likely struggle to find work and pay rent.
“I’m struggling with rent, and I’m concerned about having to pay again,” Mary said. “I haven’t heard back from my former employer, and I’m increasingly worried.”
“I have two kids. My kids are out of school, and we have no computer for them to do their homework,” she said, adding she goes to the school to pick up hard copies of homework for her children to do at home while distance-learning.
There are groups that are providing resources for undocumented immigrants during the COVID-19 pandemic. MassUndocuFund has helped hundreds of families with money during the pandemic, and relies on donations in order to send funds. The group’s most current data was released a few weeks ago, and more than $260,000 had been raised in donations, with individual donations ranging from $5 to $6,000.
Yessenia Prodero, an organizer with Massachusetts Jobs with Justice and MassUndocuFund, said undocumented immigrants are particularly vulnerable to finanicial distress during the pandemic, because their rights and needs have been de-emphasized at the national and local levels for decades. She also said they are sometimes hesitant to “sign up” for any assistance because they may be afraid of their information reaching law enforcement or immigration agencies.
While $300 is not enough to completely solve her financial problems, Mary said the money from MassUndocuFund helped feed herself and her 14-year-old and 8-year-old.
The Lynn Rapid Response Network was founded in 2017 as a partnership among different organizations to provide resources to all immigrants, not just undocumented immigrants. Iveth Martinez, director of student services for the adult education organization Pathways Inc., works with the Lynn Rapid Response Network and said the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for the group.
“The resources are very scarce, but there are some,” Martinez said. “All of these funds go toward feeding families. We all have full-time jobs, and none of us get paid for this.”
The Lynn Rapid Response Network has been fundraising to give $50 per family for food via a voucher program with local supermarkets. The group is also giving $500 per immigrant family per month as a “microgrant,” and those funds are only available for the families most in need. That program is supported by a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe.com, which has raised more than $20,000 so far.
“There have been more requests than we can handle (because of the pandemic),” Martinez said. “And there are no resources coming from the state.”
More than 125 families in or near Lynn received community networking services or resources from the group, which also holds weekly meetings to inform immigrants about topics such as immigration law. The microgrant GoFundMe page lists a goal of $25,000 in order to help the 50 families deemed most in need.
“There are a lot of people struggling,” she said. “Most people are behind on rent, and we tell them, ‘You know you have to choose between spending money on food or on rent. You have to choose food right now, because the landlord can’t evict you.’”
Martinez said the Lynn Rapid Response Network helps immigrants primarily by referrals, and she said immigrants who are struggling should attend one of the group’s weekly meetings. Information is available on the group’s Facebook page.
“People are sick and people are struggling,” Martinez said. “People are nervous.”
Visit MassUndocuFund at www.massundocufund.org.
Visit the Lynn Rapid Response Network Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LynnRRN, and website at www.lynnrapidresponsenetwork.org.
Visit Jobs with Justice at www.jwj.org.
The state government also has a webpage with resources for immigrants during COVID-19 at www.mass.gov/service-details/covid-19-resources-available-to-immigrants-and-refugees.
David McLellan can be reached at [email protected].