Resolution urging the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors to continue funding to The Central American Resource Center - CARECEN - to enable it to keep on providing immigrant services without disruption or reduction from its current levels.
WHEREAS, The City and County of San Francisco, according to the latest Census, is home to more than 350,000 immigrants (nearly 50% of the total population) many of whom are in need of support from community agencies; and,
WHEREAS, The Latino immigrant population is made up by 109,000 city residents; and,
WHEREAS, The Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) is a multi-service community based organization that provides legal immigration aid and immigration advocacy for the Latino population, health and dental clinic services, tattoo removal and counseling for young people, and case management and information and referral to families; and,
WHEREAS, CARECEN also provides English as Second Language, citizenship and driving classes and regular workshops on how parents can participate in the San Francisco Unified School District; and,
WHEREAS, Over 7,000 of the City's Latino residents received direct services from CARECEN and another 5,000 received telephonic assistance information during the year 2001; and,
WHEREAS, The current economic recession has negatively impacted the funding to community based organizations providing services to immigrants in the City, such as CARECEN, causing the closure of some of said organizations and to the drastic cuts in services provided by others in San Francisco; and,
WHEREAS, The September 11th terrorist attacks has caused the federal government and agencies to propose and enact a multitude of laws and regulations that affect the immigrant population making it more difficult and costly to apply for and receive immigration benefits; and,
WHEREAS, The Immigration and Naturalization Services this year raised its filing fees causing extreme economic hardship to very low and no income individuals; especially when an entire family is applying for a benefit; and,
WHEREAS, The newly implemented laws and regulations have caused much concern in the immigrant population causing a greater number to immigrants to seek assistance from community based organization, such as CARECEN; and,
WHEREAS, Expected changes in immigration laws will likely to increase the number of immigrants seeking assistance from community based organizations causing additional stresses to an overburdened system; and,
WHEREAS, Without community based organizations, such as CARECEN, immigrants who are unable to pay private attorneys may be forced seek assistance from unscrupulous immigration "notarios" who prey on unsuspecting immigrants and render false advice and outright fraud robbing immigrants in the process; and,
WHEREAS, The ability to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services is an essential requirement for service provider organizations in order to offer effective assistance to the diverse immigrant populations; and,
WHEREAS, The overall trend of diminishing resources and services to immigrants in San Francisco is not over, and the risk that more organizations like CARECEN will be impacted negatively; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Immigrant Rights Commission urges the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco to include in the city budget funding for CARECEN; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be sent to Mayor and the Board of Supervisors.
