Supporting Immigrant Workers in a Time of Crisis

The historic economic downturn has left a record number of workers furloughed or without a job at all. For a good many of these workers, government benefits will help ease some of their financial worries. But for our communities’ undocumented workers who do not qualify for these benefits, their inability to work directly affects their ability to eat, pay rent and bills, and thrusts them into a level of economic uncertainty not seen in over a century.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our long-time funder, the Fish Family Foundation, MassCOSH is able to provide these workers some support. Together with the Shapiro Foundation, the Fish Family Foundation provided an additional grant of $30,000 to MassCOSH. MassCOSH is using $25,000 to purchase and distribute prepaid gift cards in amounts between $50 and $250 directly to undocumented families, mostly from East Boston, in need of funds. MassCOSH is also donating $5,000 directly to the Massundocufund (www.massundocufund.org) to support undocumented families in need around the Commonwealth.

Our Worker Center is also playing a lead role in organizing 13 metro-area worker centers to assess how we can respond together to the changing needs of low-wage and undocumented workers. Part of this effort included holding two online town halls for workers to relay vetted information on their rights and answer questions they may have as businesses began to close their doors. The need for this interactive resource was abundantly clear, with over 18,000 views.