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URGENT: Protect the Refugee Children! Call Congress Today!

7/17/2014

Dear Friends:

As a follow-up to our post about how to help the refugee children running for their lives into California at the border, there is a next step we all must take:

Congress will soon take up a bill that, done well, preserves the right of these children to have their day in court concerning their status as refugees and threatened people. The bill is the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) that allows children from non-contiguous Central American countries who have been forced into sexual servitude to have court hearings before any action is taken. It was a bi-partisan measure originally signed by President Bush in 2008

Done poorly, the TVPRA provisions will end, and will hasten deportations of young children back to hazardous, life-threatening conditions in their home countries. We must fight repeal of the TVPRA now!

We, as the heirs to the anti-slavery work of William Wilberforce, cannot allow these children to be deprived of a hearing and simply deported only to be forced to join drug gangs, forced into prostitution, or murdered. They face exactly the same peril as the children for whom the law was originally written.

Please call your two Senators and your Representative today to insist that Congress not rescind this law! You may call toll free at 1-888-427-0530 and ask for your Senators and Representative.

Through the good graces of the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church this phone line is available to everyone. Please take advantage of this opportunity! Every voice counts in the weight of public opinion.

If you are unsure who your elected officials are, please link here:

http://www.churchimpact.org/take-action.html

When you reach your elected official, please tell the office that you are a person of faith, that these children must be protected, and that you strongly oppose repeal of the TPVRA!

If the toll-free line is busy or you prefer to write a longer email, the links will also take you to the home page of each Senator and Member of the House of Representatives. Be sure your ZIP is filled out, and your own representatives will pop up. You may also call their district offices; messages will be forwarded. However, we urge contacting the Capitol office in Washington, DC as the first priority.

This human rights crisis of children is a test of our moral fabric. We have the opportunity to lead the world in how good people of conscience treat the ‘alien among us’, especially children.

Please act now! The time is short, your voice is needed. Please stand for due process for the innocent victims of violence today!

Thank you!

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Three ways to help the immigrant refugees at the CA border

7/11/2014

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Dear Friends:

Many of you are asking how we can assist the children and families crossing our border in such numbers. CA currently has no unaccompanied minors but does have families. As you’ve seen in news reports, their living conditions are very harsh – the Border stations are not at all prepared to take care of children, teens, or families, especially in these numbers. The people are desperate – they are fleeing increasing gang violence – and are surrendering to border patrol agents the moment they set foot on US soil. The sheer numbers are creating a humanitarian crisis we are not yet solving well – without you.

Our long-time allies from Interfaith Center for Worker Justice in San Diego are collaborating with the San Diego Foundation for Change to gather necessary goods, money, and volunteers. We are posting their update for you. Their contact information is within the body of their notice. Please talk with them before sending anything.

–UPDATE from ICWJ--

First and foremost, thank you for the outpouring of “stuff” that was donated during this week! See a few of the photos in this email. WOW!!!!! What a tribute of love and compassion. Your donations are being dispensed to refugee families now and will continue to be as long as there is a need. We cannot thank you enough!

There are a very few items that are still needed if you would like to make a donation:
Women’s underwear of all sizes (NEW ONLY)
Women’s socks of all sizes (NEW ONLY)
Feminine Hygiene Products
You can bring these items to our ICWJ offices, 3758 30th Street, San Diego, 92104. Some of us are in the office between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on weekdays. To be sure, give us a call before you come, 619-584-5740.

Secondly , we are working with government agencies to provide support and comfort to the families who are arriving in San Diego County. We have NO unaccompanied children arriving here . All those who are coming to our region will be families. More than 90% of the families are being reunited with family members already living in the states, mostly in the Eastern and Southeastern part of the country. The stateside families are so excited to get the call from their relatives and are arranging transportation for them right away!

We are in need of two things right now.
Volunteers who can help transport families to the bus station on their way to reunite with family. If you have some time and would like to volunteer, please email us at Elizabeth@ICWJ.org. Send us your name, phone number, and email address. Spanish speakers are heartily invited and non-Spanish speakers are great as well.
We are seeking people who can host a family for up to 10 days. If you have a room with access to a bathroom, a guest house, granny flat, or basement apartment and are willing to host a family for three to ten days, please contact RabbiLaurie@ICWJ.org.
We will continue to stay in touch about how we can support the families that are coming through “America’s Finest City!”. Your outpouring of concern and support helps to relieve the humanitarian crisis!

Thank you and blessings,

Rabbi Laurie, Lisa, and your ICWJ staff

Another helpful organization

Another link: San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium website will serve as a clearinghouse for information about Central American refugees and how the community can assist them. Starting on Monday, the SDIRC site will provide a complete list of the items needed and where they can be delivered. Items will include new clothing and shoes for women and children, toiletries, diapers, towels, and items to occupy children (toys, books, videos, balls).
The San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium is committed to assisting Central American refugees who are fleeing life-endangering circumstances in their home countries and are seeking humanitarian relief in this country. In this humanitarian crisis, we open our hearts and act with compassion, extending what help we can for these women and children in their moment of need.
List of Items Needed:
Baby Wipes
Baby Formula
Baby Bottles
Baby Food (plastic if possible)
Diapers All Sizes
Anti-bacterial lotion/dispensers
Coloring books
Crayons
Soft toys for small children
Playing cards for older children and maybe puzzles
Balls for children of various ages
Small Towels
Small Soaps
Juice boxes
Sealed snacks
Plastic Utensils – spoons
Clothing:
Sweat Shirts (one color)
Sweat Pants (one color)
Undergarments
Shoes, slip in rubber bottoms (all sizes)
Plastic bags with handles

Long-term Change

For those interested in long-term public policy changes, we encourage your investigation of Foundation Cristosal that focuses primarily on El Salvador and altering the conditions there that have prompted this dreadful migration. Their web site is: http://cristosal.org where you will find much information about how to help their many strategies to alleviate this crisis and help the people who have already arrived in our country.

Any help you can give to alleviate this immediate crisis and then focusing on long-term solutions will be much appreciated.

Thank you!

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Join CA Council of Churches in enrolling your neighbors in health care coverage!

7/7/2014

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Health Care Enrollments 2015 – CA Council of Churches Invites You to Help.

Dear Friends:

As most of you know, we have been engaged in Outreach and Education to help members of your congregations, neighborhoods, communities find out what is available in health care coverage via Covered CA health plans.

Now CCC is embarking on a new aspect of this work, applying for a Covered CA Navigator grant.

Navigators are trained certified enrollers who work with the health care Exchanges – the ‘marketplace’ where health care policies are available – to help people walk through health care options. Navigators help find what subsidies are available, help people understand who is eligible in their households and who is not (such as those on Medicare), what subsidies are offered, etc. Then the Navigator will help those applicants complete their applications.

Since congregations are the most trusted partners in any community, we are looking for those congregations that can:

- Provide people willing to be trained as Navigators who understand the complexities of the health care options in their areas;
- Have people who can help those with insurance re-apply for the next year;
- Offer space in recurring, regular NON-working hour periods such as weeknights and weekend times;
- Work closely with their communities and have outreach to underserved populations who may be employed in low-wage work’
- Have populations that qualify for Covered CA and not just Medi-Cal.

While Navigators may enroll people in Medi-Cal, our project statewide is to complete 1200 applications for insurance obtained through the Exchanges. We will have 8 months in which to do that. We need your congregation’s help achieving that goal. ONLY Covered CA completed enrollments are counted for our grant although Medi-Cal counts toward the Common Good.

Are you interested in becoming a partner with CCC to help this occur?

- CCC will make sure one or more of your congregational members or trusted allies is trained.
- CCC will be able to secure the background checks and fingerprinting at no cost to the Navigator.
- CCC will assure your Navigators or your congregations are eligible for reimbursement.

For each completed and enrolled application (what Covered CA terms an ‘effectuated application’) the Navigator or congregation will receive $58 whether the application is for an Exchange coverage or for Medi-Cal. This payment will continue as long as funds are available from the federal government.

It is critical that part of this work is reaching out to those eligible for the health care plans offered through the Exchange. That means anyone making $16,000 as an individual, or roughly $32,000 as a family would be Exchange eligible. This is a critical link in the sustainability of the whole health care provision.

We will be sending our application to Covered CA on or before July 28. We have a few congregational allies now, but we need YOU.

Please let us know as soon as possible if you are interested. There is no commitment, but it helps us see where our work needs to be. The largest pocket of those eligible for Covered CA health plans remains in Los Angeles, but everyone can participate – there are tens of thousands who still do not have any health insurance or who need new options due to life changes (births, deaths, marriage, divorce, job or income change).

This is a service you can offer your congregation, your neighbors, your community and receive income at the same time.

Please respond before the middle of the month to healthcare@calchurches.org to let us know if this is of interest to you and your congregations.

Thank you!

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URGENT: Protect the Refugee Children! Call Congress Today!

Three ways to help the immigrant refugees at the CA border

Join CA Council of Churches in enrolling your neighbors in health care coverage!

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