CT To Provide Financial Assistance For Undocumented Workers

CONNECTICUT — Gov. Ned Lamont announced Wednesday that the state is partnering with philanthropic organizations in an effort to provide emergency assistance to "vulnerable residents in the state who are most directly impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency and are otherwise ineligible from receiving assistance through federal pandemic relief programs," including those from within the undocumented community.

The federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was created at the outbreak of the pandemic to provide emergency assistance to those who have been impacted, excludes relief to any residents who are undocumented and any U.S. citizen who files taxes with an undocumented spouse or partner. This same measure also denies emergency benefits to the U.S. citizen children of these parents. To address this situation, the Lamont administration and its philanthropic partners are taking several steps to providing assistance. Connecticut is the first state in New England to provide targeted relief to these groups of residents.

This includes $2.5 million in state funding that will be made available to provide rental assistance to those who are ineligible for similar aid by the CARES Act. The Connecticut Department of Housing will administer this program, which is currently in development.

Additionally, the philanthropic organization 4-CT, which was created with the express purpose of providing emergency assistance to the state's residents during the current pandemic, will be making $1 million available to Connecticut families who are excluded from existing federal relief programs. These funds will be made available through the "4-CT Card," which will provide direct, one-time payments to families. The program will engage trusted community-based organizations as partners that will write "prescriptions" for cash assistance. Recipients will take these prescriptions to community health centers partnering with the program for validation, where they will receive gift cards to help pay for expenses like food and clothing. By utilizing community health centers to get this assistance, individuals receiving the prepaid cards can be offered health services (including COVID-19 testing) they might otherwise not receive.

With the state's testing strategy targeting densely populated urban centers, this approach brings individuals in those cities closer to testing and health services, according to Lamont.

"The COVID crisis has taken a toll on many Connecticut families, none more so than those from within certain vulnerable populations," Lamont said. "Together with 4-CT and other partners in philanthropy, we will be able to provide much-needed assistance to Connecticut residents who are unable to access federal emergency supports. While more support for these families is needed, this is an important starting point, and we plan to move quickly to make this assistance available. I urge other philanthropic leaders to help grow the pot and meet the needs of impacted families. To these residents of Connecticut, I want you to know that you are not forgotten."

There are approximately 140,000 undocumented people living in Connecticut. While undocumented people make up 3.8 percent of Connecticut’s population, they represent 4.9 percent of the state’s workforce. Approximately 190,000 people, including 60,000 children, live in households where there is at least one undocumented person.

Ted Yang, co-founder and CEO of 4-CT, said, "4-CT is pleased to provide this support to those most impacted by the COVID crisis. We hope, through this program, to offer a bridge from crisis to a more stable footing. I ask other funders to partner with us to expand this program to other vulnerable populations, such as the families of essential workers, to help your fellow Connecticut residents in need."

Housing is the single largest expense for most families in Connecticut, according to Connecticut Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno. "By providing rental support for families who are most in need and least able to access other forms of assistance, we can help them to stretch tight family budgets to afford other expenses including food, transportation to jobs, and other necessities," she said.

These households all pay taxes, including sales tax, property tax, and often income tax, but are ineligible to receive the benefits available to other taxpayers, including unemployment insurance, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program support (food stamps), or the earned income tax credit. In 2018, 29,000 households filed taxes in Connecticut with an individual taxpayer identification number, a tax processing number available to those who are ineligible for a social security number. Of these, 7,760 filed taxes jointly with a U.S. citizen.

"The purpose of the CARES Act is to help the most vulnerable members of our society during this difficult time," Lamont said. "It is an absolute outrage that the federal government is denying these families and their children the support they are entitled to as U.S. citizens. We call on the federal government to treat equally and fairly all citizens with regard to these emergency benefits."