President Obama’s Deferred Action program has College Connect families asking many questions about eligibility and the safety of sharing information. College Connect responded by having Laura Melgarejo from PODER and Alejandra Guillen from Mission Asset Fund share information and answer questions and concerns our families have.
Laura gave a detailed PowerPoint presentation about the deferred action program to a tentative room of about 20 students and parents. She was very clear that each family must speak to a lawyer to get advice on their individual case. She provided a flier with five resources in San Francisco, from the San Francisco Immigrant Legal and Education Network (SFILEN) that offer pro-bono legal advice to families applying for the program.
Alejandra spoke to families about Lending Circles for Dreamers to help pay for the $465 deferred action application fee. She explained the benefits of participating in lending circles, like improving your overall credit score. She also gave information about other financial literacy workshops families can take advantage of at the Mission Asset Fund.
Families walked away with a better understanding of their next steps in the process and the support systems they can take advantage of in the community.
