Our mission is to provide comfort and support for people who seek asylum and refuge. Our volunteers connect personally and accompany them as they navigate challenges such as immigration court, shelter, health care, and work. We find resources that support their goals and healing from trauma. We are committed to the truth that every human being is worthy of a safe place to live and thrive.
Thanks to generous Santa Cruz Gives donors last year, we were able to help all of our asylum seekers pay legal fees.
We support legal asylum seekers and refugees who are trying to secure legal status through the court system. Refugees and asylum seekers from around the world arrive in Santa Cruz each month. They have been forced to flee their homes because of war, violence and oppression.
We have identified the two greatest needs: legal representation and housing. Many we help do not receive work permits for up to a year. Sometimes they end up in homeless shelters or sleep in their cars. It is almost impossible for them to pay full rent until they receive their work permits and secure employment, so we are raising money for transitional rent support.
Asylum seekers and their families face deportation if they do not win their cases in immigration court. We work to make legal representation accessible to all. We are an all-volunteer group, 104 strong.
As a state senator, I hear stories of immigrants fleeing from violence. I know that it is not just having resources, it is the ability to connect refugees in an unfamiliar land to those resources. Decades ago, when tens of thousands of Cubans came to the US in boats, I sponsored one. He lived with me until he learned English and made his way. I recall the first days, when a supermarket was a foreign experience, where language was a barrier, where opportunities for help could not have been known. For these reasons, I support the Santa Cruz Welcoming Network. I hope you will support the volunteers who give their time and resources to make Santa Cruz a welcoming environment.
John Laird, California State Senator, 17th District
