Hundreds of families affected by the storms in San Bernardino County may qualify for financial assistance regardless of their immigration status.
Past storms that have hit Southern California have brought lots of snow and rain, and while it was good for counteracting the drought, it also caused damage and setbacks in various areas, such as San Bernardino County.
Several affected families were unable to qualify for assistance from the federal government due to their immigration status; however, a California program will now help hundreds of families.
“Through this program we are providing financial support to undocumented immigrants in certain areas of San Bernardino County,” said Luz Gallegos, director of TODEC.
Financial assistance could be from $1,500-$4,500, depending on the case of each family and how they have been affected by the storms.
“People who qualify are people who lived or worked in San Bernardino County from December 2022 to April 2023 and were impacted, either not working during this time or having losses,” Gallegos added. Bárbara Acosta and her family were affected by the rains from January to April, and were laid off for several weeks after the place where they worked, a vegetable processing center, temporarily closed.
“My family is undocumented and they really suffered a lot because they were working, and when there is no more work this situation happens, so I believe that this program is going to help them,” Acosta said.
To qualify, the family has to be undocumented, either the father or the mother, since they are the ones who would qualify to receive the money, according to Gallegos.
The resources are provided by the California state government, which since January declared 13 counties states of emergency, including San Bernardino County.
For more information about this program call 1-888-863-3291.
