Latest news with #FamilyAssistanceProgram
Los Angeles Times
25-07-2025
- Los Angeles Times
L.A. Catholic Church to deliver food, medicine to immigrants affected by ICE raids
Amid a wave of arrests and apprehensions of undocumented immigrants, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles announced plans to bolster delivery of hot meals, groceries and prescription medicines to parishioners living in fear of deportation and ongoing enforcement raids. The archdiocese's donation-funded Family Assistance Program seeks to assist some of its 4 million congregants throughout its 288 parishes in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Immigrants targeted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids are 'good, hard-working men and women' who are 'making important contributions to our economy,' Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez said in a statement. 'Now they are afraid to go to work or be seen in public for fear that they will get arrested and be deported,' he said. Money donated directly to the Family Assistance Program will be funneled to parishes with vulnerable members. Donations can be made online or at a local church. Catherine Fraser, the archdiocese's chief development officer, said every dollar contributed would go directly to helping families in need. Most churches already have programs to serve elderly and home-bound congregants that were developed during the interruptions and limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Yannina Diaz, a spokesperson for the archdiocese. 'We're tapping into what already exists and what already works,' Diaz said. Diaz noted that St. Patrick's Catholic Church in South L.A. boasts a robust program that helps with food, clothing and medicine delivery for homebound individuals. That church's pastor, Monsignor Timothy Dyer, helped come up with the Family Assistance Program. At St. Agatha Catholic Church, also in South Los Angeles, volunteer Azalie Nickleberry founded the St. Agatha's Hands Are Reaching Everywhere, or SHARE, program. The ministry opened in 1980, providing hot meals on Christmas Day, and serves around 2,000 people annually. SHARE typically provides 70 to 80 bags of groceries — containing cereal, pancake mix, canned goods and pasta — to clients monthly. So far in July, that number has already shot up to 150. 'There's a real need for this service, and we're happy for the help,' Nickleberry said. About 2,800 undocumented immigrants have been arrested since ICE began conducting widespread raids in Los Angeles in early June. Those arrests have included hundreds of undocumented immigrants without any criminal record. Some U.S. citizens and immigrants with legal status have also been detained. Many members of the Greater Los Angeles Catholic community are immigrants or have family members who were born outside of the United States, leaving the archdiocese particularly exposed to the raids' impacts. About 58% of people living in the United States who were born abroad consider themselves Christian, according to findings from the Pew Research Center. Of those, 30% identified as Catholics, the largest share of any denomination. In Los Angeles, 28% of all Christians consider themselves Catholic, the highest of any denomination by 12 percentage points, according to Pew. Gomez's announcement of the assistance program comes after Bishop Alberto Rojas of the diocese of San Bernardino issued a dispensation allowing parishioners fearful of deportations to stay home rather than attend Mass. Rojas' decision followed a series of arrests on church property, though the Department of Homeland Security insisted that churches were not targeted — saying those apprehended had fled onto parish grounds. Diaz said she was unaware of any arrests made on L.A. Archdiocese property. She also said Gomez was not considering issuing a dispensation for its congregants. She said she was uncertain if parishes were offering Eucharistic Communion — vital for a Roman Catholic service — to those too afraid to leave their homes. In an open letter, Gomez wrote that he was 'deeply disturbed' by the detentions and called on the government to reform the immigration process. As for the Family Assistance Program, it's already received its share of donations. Businessman Rick Caruso, a former mayoral candidate, donated $50,000 and offered to match another $50,000 in contributions. 'We need to help these families and, working with the archdiocese, we can provide much needed relief at a time when many are struggling to get by,' Caruso said in a statement. The Catholic Assn. for Latino Leadership has donated $10,000, while Vallarta Supermarkets contributed $10,000 in gift cards. The Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Company donated an undisclosed amount, along with stuffed animals for children coping with raids, according to the archdiocese.
CBS News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Los Angeles Archbishop launches program to help families affected by immigration enforcement
Citing the Catholic Church's connection to the immigrant community of Los Angeles, Archbishop José H. Gomez on Wednesday announced a program aimed at assisting families affected by ongoing immigration enforcement operations throughout the city. Joined by other church leaders and former L.A. mayoral candidate Rick Caruso, Gomez said during a news conference at St. Patrick's Catholic Church that the church is seeking to help immigrants with stability and security during uncertain times. "This diversity of traditions, languages and experiences are what give this city its unique character," he said. "Our church supports immigrants in many ways." The program is set to aid parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to providing meals, groceries and prescription deliveries to families that may be afraid to leave their homes. The Family Assistance Program will be administered through our Cardinal McIntyre Fund. "These are good, hard-working men and women. People of faith, people who have been in this country for a long time and are making important contributions to the economy," Gomez said. "Now, they are afraid to go to work or be seen in public in fear that they will be arrested." Gomez takes this stance as immigration enforcement officers continue to hold a presence in Southern California. Raids have been reported in places like local warehouses, restaurants and farms. He also urged lawmakers to enact change through immigration reform. Caruso announced Wednesday that he and his wife have pledged to donate $50,000 to start the fund, and will donate another $50,000 at a later date. "I am the grandson of immigrants. I understand and I watched an immigrant being a gardener working through the city of Los Angeles working hard to raise a family," Caruso said. "What we have today are thousands of people who are waking up every day in fear." Individuals looking to donate to the fund can do so here.
USA Today
30-01-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Rescinded federal funding freeze good news for homeless helped by High Desert nonprofit
AI-assisted summary The Trump administration rescinded a memo that would have paused federal grants and loans after facing backlash and lawsuits. The Family Assistance Program, a nonprofit in Victorville, California, announced that its youth shelter would remain open after initially fearing closure due to the funding freeze. California Attorney General Rob Bonta expressed concern over the potential harm to Californians who rely on federal funding for various essential services. A Victorville nonprofit can breathe a sigh of relief after President Donald Trump's administration rescinded a memo describing a funding freeze Wednesday on federal grants and loans after setting off a firestorm in Congress and at least two lawsuits disputing who controls spending priorities, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Officials with the Family Assistance Program had announced Tuesday that the White House's pause of federal funding may result in High Desert children and families going homeless. The nonprofit, which operates the only runaway and homeless youth shelter in San Bernardino County, claimed that the pause in funding would result in closure of its shelter due to 'lack of rental assistance." On Wednesday afternoon, after discovering that the Trump memo was rescinded, Family Assistance Program officials took to Facebook to say they were pleased to announce that they were able to draw and process the rental assistance funding, and that its youth shelters would remain open "Thank you to everyone who helped advocate for us and our community members and to those who offered messages of support," the nonprofit stated. "We are grateful for the numerous representatives who reached out to us and listened in detail to the issues arising from the funding pause." Emergency shelter in jeopardy The Family Assistance Program's emergency shelter currently houses youth ages 12-17 for up to 29 days. Without access to shelter, 'youth will be forced to live on the streets where they are vulnerable to further victimization," nonprofit officials stated Tuesday. The distribution of $250,000 into the High Desert economy by the Family Assistance Program on Friday was in jeopardy of being halted pending payment of federal government grants, according to the nonprofit. The nonprofit previously claimed that the funding freeze would affect everyone, including families that won't be able to pay rent and landlords who won't be able to pay their mortgages. 'Property management companies will not be able to maintain properties,' nonprofit officials said. 'This isn't just a hit against the poor, everyone will feel the strain of the withdrawal of contracted grant funding.' Temporary funding freeze blocked A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked Trump's administration policy aimed to review grants and loans to ensure they complied with his priorities, which lawmakers and legal experts claimed was unconstitutional, according to USA Today. U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan ordered Trump's administration not to stop grant funding until at least Feb. 3, when another hearing will be held on the dispute. The government's legal definition of federal financial assistance includes grants, cooperative agreements, surplus donations, loans and interest subsidies. It exempts assistance received directly by individuals, including Medicare and Social Security benefits. The White House's memo refers to an executive order Trump signed on Jan. 20, which ordered department and agency heads to 'immediately pause' new programs and disbursements of development assistance to foreign countries. The Department of State announced the federal pause on Sunday, according to USA Today. State-side, the federal government issues grants for everything from road building to scientific research. It is unclear which categories will be affected. While the directive is broad, including all federal financial assistance, the memo also includes a caveat that this can only affect federal assistance 'to the extent permissible under applicable law.' The pausing of federal grants and loans is facing immediate legal scrutiny from several Democratic-led states and separately from a coalition of advocacy groups for nonprofits, health care and small businesses who told a federal judge the Republican president's plans would be "catastrophic," the Desert Sun Reported. 'Not a blanket pause' White House press secretary Leavitt explained that the funding pause would not cover assistance — such as Social Security and Medicare benefits or food stamps — that goes directly to individuals, USA Today reported. 'This is not a blanket pause on federal assistance and grant programs from the Trump administration,' Leavitt said. 'However, it is the responsibility of this president and this administration to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars.' Leavitt added that the memo's goal was to block funding for programs Trump opposes such as 'Diversity, Equality and Inclusion' in hiring and the Green New Deal for climate policy, according to USA Today. 'President Trump is looking out for you in issuing his pause,' Leavitt stated. 'Californians will be hurt' California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Tuesday took to X to say that residents rely on federal funding for disaster recovery, education, public health, public safety, and more. 'Californians will be hurt if President Trump's unlawful funding directive is allowed to go into effect,' Bonta claimed. The Family Assistance Program encourages all High Desert voters to ask Rep. Jay Obernolte to stand for nonprofits and the community's most vulnerable populations. The nonprofit asks voters to visit to email concerns, or call 202-225-5861 and tell Congressman Obernolte to consider the people he was elected to represent. 'He (Obernolte) must act to prevent our children and community members from being forced to live on the streets,' the nonprofit stated. Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@ Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
