Coalition of Grassroots Organizations Hail Launch of Excluded New Jerseyan Fund, Call for Additional Funds

Historic Fund will Provide Aid to Individuals Excluded from Federal COVID-19 Relief After More than a Year of Struggle
Immigrant Organizations Call for Immediate Replenishment of Fund to Reach Every Individual Left Behind from Aid

(October 27, 2021 – New Jersey) After a more than 18-month-long campaign led by immigrant workers and their families fighting for economic relief for the hardest-hit communities in New Jersey, which included a 24-Day Fast for Relief hunger strike, a coalition of grassroots immigrant and workers organizations responds to the launch of the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund (ENJF). The $40 million fund will provide one-time relief up to $2,000 per household for individuals excluded from federal stimulus and pandemic aid. The Fund is only expected to reach fewer than 10% of individuals excluded from aid.

The Coalition urges the state legislature to provide sufficient support for the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund so that all people left behind from aid that are in need are able to access relief. That means $2,000 payments per excluded individual and unemployment-like benefits in the form of $600 per week payments to workers that have lost their jobs during the pandemic but do not qualify for unemployment insurance due to their immigration status. The total cost of this program is approximately $989 million.

“I am a domestic worker. I became ill with Covid. I am a single mother and I had to work during Covid. This past year my teenage daughter suffered from depression because of being home alone for a whole year during the pandemic. Now I need economic help.” said Gregoria, member of Casa Freehold.

“Farmworkers and other essential workers throughout New Jersey will benefit from the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund and we are excited to take the news of this victory out to our South Jersey community, while we also recognize that the state of New Jersey needs to fully fund the ENJF to ensure that it reaches all of the families who have been suffering these last 18 months,” said Jessica Culley, General Coordinator of CATA – The Farmworkers’ Support Committee.

“On the cusp of the Excluded New Jerseyan Fund’s release, NJAIJ stands with our partners in the Recovery for All coalition and is ready to support both community outreach and the continued fight for additional funds,” said Amy Torres with New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. “This fund is an important first step for New Jersey, but its release comes over a year and a half after the first Federal relief checks were deposited. Structural racial, social, and economic inequity is what caused the pandemic to be as severe as it was. For that reason, we will continue to fight alongside NJAIJ members and partners for every last penny that our excluded families deserve.”

“The Excluded New Jerseyans Fund is a first step to support the families in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the state closure. The fund results from a big push made by our immigrant community to get relief after a whole year. We are excited about the fund release, while we know 40 million will cover just 10% of people in need. We are immigrants, working in food services, warehouses, construction, and laundromat workers. We contribute to the economy, and we pay taxes. During the pandemic, we did not stay at home. We could not; we were the workforce that had to move New Jersey because someone had to do it. We will continue fighting for an inclusive and decent relief for all,” said Gloria Guerrero, Laundry Workers Center.

“After a year of constant struggle during the pandemic, we won $40 million in support for families that were left without work and didn’t receive any federal aid. This fund is a start but it’s not enough as it will only cover the needs of some affected families. So that’s why we will keep fighting for more. Yes we can!,” said Reynalda Cruz of New Labor.

“This fund is the result of the constant fight of organizations and the community who worked together. The immigrant community keeps showing year after year how much we contribute to this country, and to the state. Yet, it saddens us to see that we continue to be excluded despite the fact of the constant contributions. This fund is a step closer to the right direction, but it is not enough. It was not something granted to us, we earned it,“ said Nery Torres, Coordinator of Operations of Wind of the Spirit.

Johana Caro, Domestic Worker and member of NDWA, and Evelyn Saz, Organizer of NDWA, said “We won 40 million, but it is not enough! Domestic Workers and other essential workers, during the pandemic, we risked our lives, we fell ill, and many died from COVID-19. Eighteen months have passed, and we still have not received any financial support. We, Domestic Workers, are willing to continue fighting hard for more funds, for everyone, and now.”

Margarita Rodriguez, member of Make the Road New Jersey and participant of the hunger strike, said “After more than a year of powerful organizing led by immigrant workers to provide economic relief to the hundreds of thousands of New Jersey immigrants, today we will see the fruits of our labor with the launch of the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund. With the application now open, we look forward to working together so that as many households as possible can apply without delay. The Excluded New Jerseyans Fund, the first of its kind in New Jersey, is an important first step. But we know that $40 million allocated will only reach a fraction of the population of excluded workers and their families and it is not nearly enough to meet the vast and desperate need. We urge the state legislature and Gov. Murphy to provide additional funds to provide the recovery we so desperately need and deserve.”

To inform the community, Make the Road New Jersey will host an in-person Information Session about the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund on Thursday, October 28 at 6pm (42 Broad St., Elizabeth, NJ 07201) and three clinics a week across the state in Passaic, Elizabeth and Perth Amboy through the end of the year. *Must bring proof of vaccination or stay home if you have been exposed within 14 days. Masks are required.*

To sign up for more information and free assistance with applications from Make the Road New Jersey, individuals can text ALIVIO (“Relief” in Spanish) to 52886. Make the Road New Jersey and the Excluded New Jerseyan Coalition will conduct Facebook livestreams Friday at 7 pm to help get out the word and explain eligibility.

“Our communities deserve more,” said Itzel Hernandez with the American Friends Service Committee. “For over a year the state has denied economic relief to the immigrants and essential workers that have kept our state running and allowed many of us to work from home, safe from harm. Governor Murphy must do the right thing and provide additional funds so everyone can recover, 40 million is simply not enough.”

Caritina Hernández, member of Cosecha New Jersey, said “We know that this fund that we are receiving is not going to help solve all the economic problems and other challenges that our community has faced during this pandemic. This fund will only be able to reach a small fraction of our families, leaving out 90% of the rest. That is why we must continue to organize and pressure Governor Phill Murphy and the NJ Legislature to approve a larger fund. All families who have been excluded should receive financial relief as soon as possible. We’re called essential workers and contribute greatly to the recovery of this state we call home.”

“We are more than half a million undocumented immigrants in the state of New Jersey. We are essential workers that with our work we have contributed to the economy of this state and even in the midst of the pandemic we continue working not to let the economy of New Jersey fall. The 40 million fund reaches only 10% of our community, although we were excluded from all federal aid, now 90% of our community is still excluded by the state of New Jersey. But we are not going to stop until every family in the state of New Jersey is benefited with relief. We are going to keep pushing until the legislature approves more money for this fund.” said Jairo, Organizer of Unidad Latina en Acción New Jersey

According to the DHS, the ENJF provides a one-time, direct cash benefit to eligible households who have suffered an economic hardship due to COVID-19 and were excluded from both the federal stimulus checks and COVID related unemployment assistance — including undocumented individuals, residents re-entering from the justice system, and any other individuals otherwise excluded.

Eligible households will receive a benefit of up to $1,000 per eligible individuals and a max of $2,000 per household. Households with incomes up to $55,000 a year with documented hardship or lost income due to COVID-19 can apply for assistance.

Coalition of grassroots organizations: ACLU of New Jersey, AFSC Immigrant Rights Program, C.A.T.A. – The Farmworkers Support Committee, Casa Freehold, Cosecha New Jersey, Faith in New Jersey, Latino Action Network, Laundry Workers Center, LUPEPAC, National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), New Labor, New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, The New Jersey Latino Pastors and Ministers Coalition, New Jersey Policy Perspective, New Jersey Citizen Action, SEIU 32BJ, Unidad Latina en Acción New Jersey, Wind of the Spirit

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