Agmt20 Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County and RWC 2020 MOU

Browse Search

LIBRE's integrated outreach, education, application assistance, and legal advocacy continue to connect immigrants living in San Mateo County with benefits that help them to lead healthy, stable lives. Although each component of our service delivery model plays an important role in meeting the diverse needs of the communities we serve, outreach and education remains the key focus this year as LIBRE responds to proposed revisions in the "public charge" immigration rule. LIBRE's expertise in public benefits laws affecting immigrants and status as a trusted source of accurate information allows us direct access to the immigrants facing increasing fear and uncertainties. Our promotora partners will use new outreach materials and continue including Know Your Rights information on constitutional protections available to all residents. As laws, regulations, and enforcement policies change, LIBRE's combination of legal expertise and grassroots credibility enable us to respond quickly to inform and protect our immigrant community. LIBRE will continue to conduct outreach and education, provide benefits application assistance, and provide legal advice and representation to immigrants living in San Mateo County. We will reach at least 10,000 people in immigrant communities through our outreach, assist at least 300 households in applying for or retaining benefits, and provide legal services to at least 150 immigrant individuals. A. Outreach and Education LIBRE will continue to provide accurate, linguistically and culturally appropriate information about benefits and resources to immigrants living in the Coastal communities; Redwood City and North Fair Oaks; and Belle Haven and East Palo Alto. We will seek funds for services in north County areas. Our peer promotora model, through which community members conduct one-on-one outreach to their neighbors, families, and friends, will handle our core outreach. We will participate in and organize community education events where families can obtain in-depth information from LIBRE's staff attorneys at accessible, trusted sites such as Community Schools and community-based organizations. We will also continue to promote www.thelibreproject.org as a resource for updates and easy to understand answers and resources in response to the Trump Administration's actions to expand "public charge," restrict access to public benefits or change immigration laws. LIBRE has recently revised our messaging and is supporting efforts to create and amplify a unified message through a San Mateo County inter -agency workgroup and the national PIF coalition to address public charge and encourage immigrants who remain eligible for benefits. While the Trump Administration's actions have already resulted in fewer immigrants using benefits, LIBRE believes that educating immigrants about "public charge" will be even more important if the proposed changes to the "public charge" rules are adopted. We have designed materials to help immigrants determine if the public charge rule applies to them. If the rule changes are finalized, we will develop a more extensive tool that walks individuals through a serious of questions to determine how the new rules might or might not affect them, with referrals to appropriate partners for follow-up. We are constantly refreshing our LIBRE website and will continue using it to disseminate up-to-date information that immigrants need in order to make difficult decisions in their daily lives. Additionally, Legal Aid has partnered with Bay Area Legal Aid to coordinate advocacy in both San Mateo and Santa Clara counties to align messaging and information regional. To the extent REV: 12-20-19 RL ATTY/AGR.2019.322/Legal Aid Society of San Mateo (Page 10 of 14)