In May 2020, MUA launched our first ever Immigrant Families Relief Fund to support immigrants who had lost income or become ill due to the COVID19 crisis, many of whom do not qualify for unemployment or federal stimulus funds.

The COVID19 crisis has had a massive impact on communities of color, and on MUA’s members in particular.  In the San Francisco Bay Area and nationwide, Latina women have had the highest rates of income loss and unemployment, far higher than people of any other race and gender.  The vast majority of our members lost income, and many are experiencing hunger and housing insecurity. Moreover, in th Bay Area, Latinx people are contracting COVID19 at over three times the rate of white people, and are at far greater risk of dying from it.

To hear directly from our leaders about how they are coping with this crisis, we invite you to watch our powerful, brief video made in collaboration with BAYCAT Studios: The Strength of Women in the Times of the Pandemic.

Thanks to an outpouring of support from our funders and allies, by late September 2020, at least 593 current and former MUA participants had each received a $500 cash payment through MUA to help them buy necessities and pay bills.

This month, in response to ongoing needs we see in the community, we decided to launch a second round of cash relief to everyone who qualified for the first round and who is still experiencing hardship.  This round will consist of a $300 payment to each qualified applicant, which we hope to send out before the winter holidays.   To accomplish this, we will need to raise at least $60,000 in additional funding.

We invite our allies to support these efforts. You can donate to the MUA COVID19 Immigrant Families Relief Fund here.  We thank you in advance for your support and solidarity!