Thanks to a generous grant from the New York Immigration Coalition, CIANA will be participating in the Emergency Cash Assistance Program (ECAP). This program seeks to provide direct financial assistance to immigrants throughout New York City in the form of prepaid debit cards that will help them recover from the economic impact of COVID-19.
Immigrants have been the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic not just in New York, but around the United States. Many are underpaid essential workers; many others have lost their jobs, which are their only means of supporting their families.
Nevertheless, government relief on citywide, statewide, and federal levels frequently leaves out immigrants, giving them far fewer options for financial recovery. CIANA’s clients, most of whom are working class immigrants, are among those impacted, and that’s why we’re participating in ECAP.
ECAP will ensure that they have the funds they need to help themselves and their families recover from the pandemic as the curve continues to flatten.