One of the most fundamental services of the One Dream, One East Chicago program is to assist participants with obtaining proper documentation for being in this country. In the past several years, Catholic Charities and the Immigrant Support and Assistance Center (ISAAC) has helped families whose members face detainment or arrest due to questionable or undocumented immigration status.
ISAAC, first working with St. Mary’s Catholic Church in East Chicago and now with Catholic Charities, has been able to assist the East Chicago community and has been a leading entity in this area for years. With a long history of being able to provide services to all residents, they are confident that their programs have enhanced the quality of life for the community.
An article published in 2009 by The Times of Northwest Indiana states that “St. Mary’s Church has diligently organized the Hispanic Support and Assistance Center (HISAC) to protect and promote the fundamental rights and civil liberties of the Hispanic immigrant population of NWI under the guidance of the Catholic church.”
Hispanic immigrants can have an easier time obtaining access to fundamental rights with proper immigration documentation. St. Mary’s has emphasized to its participants the need for proper documents in order to receive assistance.
“The aim and purpose of HISAC is to educate and support those Hispanic immigrants who are the most vulnerable of the community…” said Jose Bustos of St. Mary’s.
As a result of their efforts, many participants submitted their Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) applications in order to get their Social Security Cards and Work Authorization Permits, and thus were able to get better paying jobs and driver’s licenses.
Because of the immense success of this program, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Gary has included the One Dream, One East Chicago program to their services.
The Foundations of East Chicago (FEC) is proud to support the program and this grantee. To learn more about how they can help, visit www.FoundationsEC.org.
