by Editorial Team | May 28, 2020 | News
“There is nothing more powerful than the collective voice of our community to drive change.”
—Christina Fialho, Co-founder & Executive Director of Freedom For Immigrants
The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the world in ways that are still unfolding. But this virus doesn’t strike equally. People detained in immigrant prisons, who were systematically denied basic human rights before this crisis began, are still denied the right to follow public health advice to keep themselves and their families safe. The health of individuals in immigrant prisons is flagrantly disregarded in overpopulated prisons whose numbers are still growing. Detained immigrants are shuffled around the country with little regard for shelter-in-place policies, and those who have been potentially exposed to the virus are forced to stay together in cramped quarters with others who have been exposed—without access to masks, gloves or consistent access to handwashing facilities.
Freeing immigrants from these conditions is a public health emergency.
This letter from 247 individuals detained in Broward Transitional Center (BTC), a crowded ICE prison in Pompano Beach, Florida paints a grim picture. On March 17, individuals were forced to protest for water after an outage left them without drinking water, toilet use, and running water for five hours.
We have a lot of flu-like symptoms going around and we are getting frightened and worried that if any of us gets infected with the coronavirus it will start an epidemic on its own seeing that we are in a very confined space.
At the regular lockdown hour at 18:30, we were instructed to go back to our rooms with feces in most of the toilets. When the security was notified about the unsanitary situations we were told to proceed to the rooms and turn on the toilet vents in order to vacate the disturbing smell and spread of germs and bacteria. We should not have to protest for a right to have running water in a time of a pandemic when it is of utmost importance that we maintain the highest level of sanitation possible.
Letter from 247 immigrants detained in a Florida ICE prison
During times of crisis, it’s even more critical to uphold our values and stand up for those who are denied the right to stand up for themselves. Join our fight for immigrant rights by joining the Freedom100 Circle, a one-year commitment where members engage with Freedom for Immigrants and Mission Driven Finance to launch and grow our Freedom100 Bond Fund, while educating the public about the U.S. immigration detention system and community-based alternatives to detention.
Join forward-thinking leaders like Freedom100 founding member Mark Knight, who saw the massive abuses and injustices occurring at immigrant prisons and felt compelled to act.
Becoming a contributor to the Freedom100 Circle of Champions is an excellent way, for those who have the resources, to ensure that community-based alternatives to detention have the opportunity to work. Contributors who are looking not only to make badly needed financial contributions but also to apply their background and skills to help broaden this network of helpers and provide strategic advice to Freedom for Immigrants leadership can do no better than to join Freedom100. For me, it’s the best way I can make a difference and become part of the change that is needed right now.
Mark Knight, Freedom100 founding member
Join with your donation, your time, your expertise, and your voice. Most importantly, join our community to make history with us and fight for immigrant rights.
by Wilda Wong | May 15, 2020 | News
The WES Mariam Assefa Fund, one of the visionary supporters of the Community Finance Fellowship, highlighted Mission Driven Finance and the fellowship in this Insights post on their blog.
Mission Driven Finance’s Community Finance Fellowship seeks to empower individuals from communities that historically lack access to capital, including immigrants and refugees, to use finance as a tool for change. Through the program, fellows get hands-on training in a field that is often hard to access or unwelcoming to women and people of color. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the securities and financial investments field is nearly 62 percent male and over 84 percent white.
by Wilda Wong | May 2, 2020 | News
The San Diego County COVID-19 Small Business & Nonprofit Loan Program (SBNLP) is designed to help the small businesses and nonprofits at the heart of our community get back on track. The SBNLP was launched by County of San Diego Supervisor Nathan Fletcher in collaboration with The San Diego Foundation, Mission Driven Finance, Accion Serving Southern California, the San Diego & Imperial Small Business Development Center Network, and the California Southern Small Business Development Corporation. The SBNLP will complement—not replace—relief grants and other loan programs, and will help extend government and philanthropic resources.
About SBNLP
SBNLP will be launched with two major sources of funding:
- $5M from the County of San Diego to support small businesses in the unincorporated areas of the county with loans up to $50,000
- $5M from The San Diego Foundation to support nonprofit organizations operating in San Diego County with low-interest / low-cost loans of sizes still to be determined
*The above funding sources are those secured as of April 30. Work is underway to secure additional capital to grow this program. If you are interested in adding funds to the SBNLP and expanding access to more businesses and nonprofits, please contact [email protected].
Getting prepared to apply
We know small businesses and nonprofits need capital, so we’re working around the clock to get this moving as quickly as possible.
We’re still confirming eligibility criteria and processes as well as expanding the program as we can, but will share details as soon as they are formalized with everyone who signed up for updates with regular emails like this.
In the meantime, our partners at the San Diego & Imperial Small Business Development Center Network (SBDC) are ready to help you get materials ready for this loan program and to understand any other disaster assistance programs. They are here to help small businesses and nonprofits alike. For support, please register via the following link — sdsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/signup.
If you represent a nonprofit, clearly indicate that when asked to “please describe your product or service.” You will be flagged as a nonprofit and directed to a case manager familiar with nonprofit dynamics for support. SBNLP partners will require additional documentation for your loan application. We will send an email and update our website as soon as those materials are confirmed.
San Diego County COVID-19 Small Business & Nonprofit Loan Program (SBNLP) is a program administered by The San Diego Foundation and launched in collaboration with the office of San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors, California Southern Small Business Development Corporation, San Diego & Imperial Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Accion serving Southern California, LISC San Diego, and Mission Driven Finance.
