The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how immigrants in Washington State face inequitable access to critical health and safety net programs. As a first step in improving equity and basic economic security for immigrants, there are new funds available to help Washington State residents who don’t qualify for other COVID-19 relief programs due to their immigration status: 

• The Washington State COVID-19 Immigrant Relief Fund will provide a one-time direct payment of up to $1,000 per person (up to $3,000 per household) for people who live in Washington State but are ineligible for federal financial relief or unemployment insurance due to immigration status. Applications are open until December 6th, and payments will go out by December 28th. 
• The Seattle COVID-19 Disaster Relief Fund for Immigrants will provide a one-time direct payment of up to $1,000 per person (up to $3,000 per household) for people who live, work, or go to school within Seattle city limits. The fund will prioritize applications from people that were ineligible for federal COVID-19 stimulus checks due to immigration status and meet certain income guidelines. Applications are open until November 5th, and payments will go out after December 1st. 

Please share these opportunities widely with your networks.  For more on work that NoHLA is doing to improve equity for immigrants in our communities, read our blog post about our new Immigrant Equity Campaign!

–Emily Brice, NoHLA Senior Attorney & Policy Advisor