More funds available for undocumented workers impacted by pandemic

The Oregon Workers Relief Fund has secured another $65 million for Oregon workers who faced hardships during the pandemic but were not eligible for government relief.

The program has distributed three rounds of funds so far, pausing when funds ran dry. It last closed at the end of February and roughly 3,400 people remained on the waitlist.

Those people are already being processed to receive this fourth round of relief designed to help undocumented Oregon workers.

"In general, there have always been massively more applications than the amount of money we can provide," Alex Mensing, communications director for Innovation Law Lab, said.

The program is now accepting new applications from the public.

Applicants must be at least 18, working in Oregon, and provide proof of economic hardship as a result of the pandemic. They also must demonstrate that, due to their immigration status, they are ineligible to receive other assistance.

"We're just really excited to finally reopen," Martha Sonato, board president of the Oregon Workers Relief Fund, said. "We've advocated [for more funds] since March and have been working with the state."

This round of funding was provided entirely by the Oregon Legislature.

No safety net

The program was born in the early days of the pandemic.

"It was a lot of work," Sonato said. "We worked so hard to open it."

The program received some initial funding from Seeding Justice. It was already formed and active by the time board members went to the state to ask for money.

"We were able to say, 'Hey, we have this program, we already created it,'" Sonato said.

The first round of state funding was approved and distributed in April 2020. Funds since have come from the state Legislature and donations from cities, counties and private organizations.

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Undocumented workers have been ineligible for state and federal assistance, like unemployment benefits and stimulus checks, throughout the pandemic.

In Oregon, one in eight workers is an immigrant. Undocumented Oregonians contribute $81 million in taxes each year, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

"The reality is that our undocumented community in Oregon, even though they are essential and vital, and not just for the economy, aren't eligible for a lot of these safety net programs," Sonato said. "[The pandemic] highlighted the need to create systems that center around folks who are impacted the most and are the most in need."

Many pandemic-era aid programs have ended, but the pandemic rages on. Cost of living, meanwhile, continues to rise.

"The economy is still in trouble," Mensing said.

Funds so far

More than 40,000 Oregonians have received a portion of $72 million distributed since the program began.

Marion County has one of the largest concentrations of recipients, according to data from Oregon Worker's Relief Fund.

Most recipients are agricultural workers, and nearly 80% of previous applicants demonstrated five weeks or more of "hardship" as a result of the pandemic.

Recipients are largely using the funds to pay for "basic necessities" like rent, food and gas, Sonato and Messing said.

"This wasn’t supplementing a sufficient income," Messing said. "It is often [going to] people who have had to cut back on really basic necessities."

The average amount of aid distributed to each applicant so far was $1,712. At that rate, nearly 38,000 Oregonians could benefit from this next round of $65 million.

But the relief program has also increased the amount of money applicants are eligible to receive. Distribution is need-based, calculated by MIT's living wage calculator.

This round, applicants could receive $625 to $2,500, Sonato said.

"This is about equity," Messing said. "It's an opportunity for people to get the relief that everybody deserves."

The program will distribute this round of funds until it runs out, Sonato said, and it has no plans to stop trying to help undocumented Oregonians.

"There's no set timeline," Sonato said. "We will continue advocating to secure more funding. We haven't talked about when this is over, but we'll keep it going as long as possible."

Undocumented Oregonians can call 1-888-274-7292 to apply. The line is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Shannon Sollitt covers agricultural workers through Report for America, a program that aims to support local journalism and democracy by reporting on under-covered issues and communities. Send tips, questions and comments to ssollitt@statesmanjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Worker Relief Fund has more money to offer undocumented workers