Helping Those Most in Need during COVID-19
COVID-19 is affecting all of us deeply, in ways that are both personal and systemic. This crisis has thrown into sharp relief the lack of safety net in our social and economic systems. As a result, the most marginalized communities and individuals among us are more vulnerable than ever.
If you are able, we urge you to offer whatever support you can to the organizations that continue to support the most threatened populations during the crisis.
>> Support the Immigrant Community
Immigrants, especially those in detention centers and those who are forced to remain in Mexico, face many critical challenges in the face of COVID-19. These include the lack of adequate shelter for social distancing or quarantine, limited access to appropriate medical care, especially testing, limited access to proper nutrition and food, and an overall lack of financial support.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
Give to Al Otro Lado’s Humanitarian Migrant Fund. This fund provides emergency support to migrant families impacted by MPP Migrant Protection Protocols or “Remain in Mexico”, asylum seekers, deportees, and migrants who are currently stuck in refugee camps and shelters in extremely precarious conditions.
>> Support people seeking abortions
States like Texas and Ohio have used the crisis to effectively ban abortions, including them “among the nonessential surgeries and medical procedures that they are requiring to be delayed.”
“Patients cannot wait until this pandemic is over to receive safe abortion care.”
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
Please give as you are able to state-based abortion funds, which we’ve compiled here.
It’s also important to support healthcare workers at large right now. Learn how.
>>Support Victims of Domestic Violence
“In this particular time, with COVID-19, home can be pretty intense for domestic violence victims and survivors, due to the abusers’ ability to further control.”
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
Donate to local domestic violence shelters, like Bridges Domestic Violence Center, or volunteer for a domestic violence hotline.
For those in need of immediate help, the following resources are available for phone or online assistance:
In case of an emergency, call 911.
Contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline
Contact Safe Horizon