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Immigration Status and Hurricane Assistance: Where to find help if you're not a US Citizen

Private nonprofits step up to help people without papers
IAN & IMMIGRATION PAPERWORK
IAN & IMMIGRATION PAPERWORK
IAN & IMMIGRATION PAPERWORK
Posted at 5:31 PM, Oct 06, 2022
and last updated 2022-10-06 17:31:29-04

TAMPA, Fla. — “So, we’re asking the community to donate to Colectivo Arbol,” Jeffers said. “Your donation is very important so that we can help all of those families who lost everything.”

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, people who aren’t citizens or may even lack legal documentation to be in the U.S. are left wondering if they are eligible to receive help with food, clothing and shelter.

The answer: Maybe.

One place to find help is at a hurricane shelter operated by the Red Cross.

“The Monday before the hurricane arrived, the Red Cross contacted me to tell everyone to not be afraid to go to shelters. No one will ask for documents. They want to save lives,” Isaret Jeffers said, in Spanish, when asked about shelters for noncitizens and people who are undocumented.

Jeffers is the founder of Colectivo Arbol, a nonprofit organization that provides food, clothing and assistance primarily to agricultural workers in the Tampa Bay area. Many of the workers may be in the visa application process or undocumented.

The problem, as Jeffers sees it, is that people may not be “comfortable asking for things,” she said. “The Hispanic community doesn’t always want to come forward and be a bother.”

But that doesn’t mean they don’t need help. And for that reason, Jeffer’s organization and the American Red Cross held an event to feed more than 1,000 people in Dover last Sunday, providing almost 500 boxes of food.

Storms do not discriminate

Rachel Nelson, of the Red Cross, put it this way: “Just as storms do not discriminate with the people whose lives they devastate, the Red Cross does not discriminate in who we help.” When a person arrives at a shelter they don’t need to provide any identification, she said. “We just ask for their name and their pre-disaster address.”

But if you want aid from the U.S. Government, namely the Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA, the rules are stringent.

Under the Individual and Household Program, if you have insurance, you need to try to get your insurance company to reimburse you.

“Insurance is always the first matter, but insurance may not cover everything,” said Bruce Bouch, a spokesman for FEMA.

If you are uninsured or under-insured you can apply to the Individual and Household Program. But in order to qualify, you need to be a U.S. Citizen or non-citizen national, i.e. someone born in a U.S.-acquired possession such as American Somoa. It’s also possible to qualify for assistance if you are a refugee, asylum seeker or someone who was subjected to extreme cruelty, such as a victim of human trafficking.

Donations needed

On Saturday, Colectivo Arbol plans to hold another giveaway event in Zolfo Springs. People in need can pick up blankets, diapers, baby formula, cleaning and hygiene supplies, Jeffers said.
And she’s looking for Tampa Bay area residents to pitch in if they can.

“So, we’re asking the community to donate to Colectivo Arbol,” Jeffers said. “Your donation is very important so that we can help all of those families who lost everything.”

You can make a donation in the following ways:

To apply for aid from FEMA, visit www.disasterassistance.gov.