Migrant Housing & Food Security Project

Food insecurity and access to basic needs

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Housing and food security have been an ongoing crisis for low-income immigrant families and migrants in California, as high costs of living continue to rise and exclusionary housing policies at the city, county, state, and federal levels deny mixed-status immigrants access to safety net supports. Immigrants and refugees face significant barriers accessing housing services through the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s (LAHSA) Coordinated Entry System, which does not prioritize new arrivals or mixed-status residents in its scoring system. Newly arrived migrants are particularly vulnerable as they need sheltering immediately upon their arrival as well as support with transitioning to permanent housing. However, housing options are limited and it can take up to 3 months for recent arrivals to gain access to shelters. Newly arrived migrants also need direct services to meet their basic needs as they transition to their new homes, including food assistance and financial assistance.

Since 2022 CHIRLA's Humanitarian Response & Migrant Assistance Program has been coordinating services for newly arrived migrants in LA County as they receive medical screenings, legal consultations, and emergency housing to meet immediate needs. In 2023 we began providing direct housing and food assistance as migrant families transition to permanent housing. By expanding this program, we will set up migrants with resources to support longer term food and housing security.
Housing Assistance:
CHIRLA’s case workers conduct intakes with migrant families upon their arrival to identify needs, enroll them in benefits, and make referrals to service providers. CHIRLA then arranges for temporary housing, including hotel stays or shelters in coordination with LAHSA, churches, and 211 partners. This project will support new arrivals with securing and maintaining permanent housing by providing direct assistance ($1,000/household) to cover the deposit, first month’s rent, and moving expenses for their new homes.
Food Assistance:
To ensure migrant families, women, and children have access to food when they first arrive, CHIRLA provides hot meals, groceries, and enrollment in food assistance programs such as CalFresh and WIC. We also distribute grocery cards so families can purchase their own food. This grant will allow us to provide grocery cards ($100/household) and in-language nutrition education on managing money and buying healthy food to families as they transition to their new homes.

The recently arrived migrants we serve are vulnerable families and women with children who urgently need shelter, medical screenings, case management, and translation services. By helping them secure both emergency and permanent housing, we will help mitigate the housing crisis in LA and prevent exacerbation of the homelessness crisis. By ensuring migrants have access to food when they first arrive and providing nutrition education, we will help families address both immediate and long-term food security and health needs. In addition, by welcoming families, refugees, and asylum seekers from all over the world, such as Mexico, Haiti, Afghanistan and more, and providing individualized support as they settle in their homes, our work is contributing to the rich diversity and integration of LA’s communities. We plan to set up a local infrastructure and welcome center to provide longer term case management, job search, and supports for migrants who come to live and settle in Los Angeles.

This project is an expansion of our Humanitarian Response & Migrant Assistance Program, which has welcomed more 2,342 migrants since June 2022, including 442 walk-ins, 677 Afghan refugees, and 1,048 migrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border and were bussed to LA from Texas. CHIRLA has also distributed $59,000 in rental assistance to 59 newly arrived migrants. CHIRLA has data systems in place to track demographics and services provided through our intake and referral process. We will continue to track our impact through the following metrics and expand our program to assist more migrants:
Number of people who qualify for CalFresh and were approved for benefits;
Number of grocery cards distributed;
Number of households who receive rental assistance;
Number of people who transition from no housing to hotels/shelters, and from temporary to permanent housing;
Number of referrals to food bank and shelter partners;
Number of people who receive one-on-one nutrition and financial education.