Catholic Charities of the Dioceses of Gary, a grantee organization receiving funding from the Foundations of East Chicago (FEC), has been providing the community of East Chicago with services that ensure a better quality of life for those struggling due to immigration related legal issues.
The One Dream, One East Chicago program maintains three goals:
- 1. To prevent families from being homeless. Because of their undocumented legal status in the United States, working immigrants struggle financially. Catholic Charities provides emergency housing to those in dire need, and can help prevent participants from having vital services such as gas and electricity from being disconnected.
- 2. To educate the community. Social development, adult education, legal counseling and economic assistance are just some of the topics addressed. Additional pertinent information is provided, such as how to purchase medications that they otherwise may not have been able to afford.
- 3. To assist the young with obtaining status. Although many of the legal battles are fought by their parents, undocumented immigrant children still feel the impact. The uncertainty of food and housing, the doubts of becoming a “member of society,” and the pressures involved in a family living with no Federal status can have such an influence that it affects every aspect of these children’s daily lives. Their school grades fall and many drop out of school altogether. The program assists participants in their process to obtain their DACA status (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals).
More information on the goals of the One Dream, One East Chicago program can be found at www.FoundationsEC.org.
