Understanding the impact of Johnson County’s direct assistance program - The Gazette

Heydi Cortez Martinez poses for a representation connected Thursday astatine the Catholic Worker House successful Iowa City. “I came present to springiness my children a future, and this wealth was a blessing,” explains Cortez Martinez, who traveled connected ft to the United States from Honduras with her 2 children. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Heydi Cortez Martinez clasps her hands arsenic she fights to clasp backmost tears during an interrogation Thursday with The Gazette astatine the Catholic Worker House successful Iowa City. “I came present to springiness my children a future, and this wealth was a blessing,” explains Cortez Martinez, referring to a $1,400 nonstop assistance payment. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Rosalba Gudiel sits for a representation astatine her mobile location successful Iowa City successful February 2022. Receiving a cheque from the county’s nonstop assistance programme was an “emotional experience” for Gudiel, who has lived successful Iowa City for 10 years. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

Emily Sinnwell (left) and Ninoska Campos (right) pb a rally Oct. 27, 2021, astatine the Johnson County Health and Human Services Building demanding that excluded and undocumented workers beryllium included successful the disbursement of pandemic alleviation funds. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Johnson County Supervisor Jon Green (far right) and different region administrative employees look connected Feb. 14 during a rally organized by Escucha Mi Voz astatine the Johnson County Administration Building. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

Demonstrators clasp signs Feb. 14 during a rally organized by Escucha Mi Voz astatine the Johnson County Administration Building. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

IOWA CITY — For Heydi Cortez Martinez, receiving a $1,400 cheque from Johnson County’s nonstop assistance programme was “something wonderful” astatine a “moment of crisis.”

Cortez Martinez, an Iowa City nonmigratory who works successful roofing, said enactment had been slow, making it hard to wage rent and bills. She shared the challenges of uncovering unchangeable enactment portion being undocumented.

She utilized the one-time authorities assistance to wage rent, bills and bargain nutrient for her 2 kids.

“It was thing of quality due to the fact that I didn't deliberation it would happen,” Cortez Martinez said done an interpreter.

Cortez Martinez was 1 of 2,238 Johnson County residents who received the one-time outgo earlier this year. It came astatine a clip erstwhile she needed it most. Because of her migration status, Cortez Martinez was excluded from the COVID-19 alleviation checks astir radical received from the national authorities aboriginal successful the pandemic and different nationalist assistance.

At the forefront of advocating for payments for excluded workers has been Escucha Mi Voz — oregon Hear My Voice — from Iowa City, a radical expanding to different areas. Excluded workers are individuals who are excluded from receiving nationalist services — specified arsenic national stimulus, unemployment security and wellness attraction — usually due to the fact that of their migration status.

Since April 2021, Escucha Mi Voz has highlighted however migrant workers person been disproportionally impacted during the pandemic and however nonstop currency assistance would assistance them with rent, utilities and groceries, among different expenses.

Cortez Martinez, a subordinate of Escucha Mi Voz, said her information is her 2 kids and warring for a amended aboriginal for them.

City and region officials person highlighted however the nonstop assistance programme is the lone 1 of its benignant successful Iowa. The University of Iowa volition look astatine the interaction of the programme done a survey that could assistance pass aboriginal section policy.

Escucha Mi Voz is moving to guarantee voices of migrant workers are heard by elected leaders and is readying adjacent steps. One of the issues astir important to migrant workers successful Iowa is making it truthful they are capable to get a driver’s license. Iowa is 1 of 32 states that necessitate individuals beryllium lawful presumption erstwhile getting one.

Understanding impact

Johnson County’s nonstop assistance programme was approved successful February and funded by American Rescue Plan Act assistance granted to Johnson County, Iowa City and Coralville. The section programme provided one-time checks to low-income residents negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including residents excluded from receiving the national stimulus.

County unit person antecedently said administering the programme was an “ambitious undertaking.”

Now that the programme has concluded, the region tin “move into the signifier of knowing the impact,” said James Bechtel, the county’s task and systems analyst.

The Johnson County Board of Supervisors successful August unanimously approved an statement with the UI to measure the impacts.

One of the reasons Dave Frisvold, the study’s main investigator, was funny successful evaluating the nonstop assistance programme is due to the fact that it provided currency payments alternatively of in-kind assistance.

There’s enactment from low-income countries, Frisvold said, wherever assistance is much cash-based and “tends to beryllium rather effectual successful boosting individual’s outcomes.” Frisvold is an subordinate prof successful the UI Department of Economics, arsenic good arsenic manager of Social and Education Policy Research successful the Public Policy Center.

Something the survey could further research is the trade-offs associated with antithetic types of assistance, Frisvold added.

Research could lend to ‘national conversation’

Frisvold’s squad began the survey past period by mailing a survey to applicants to the program. Its absorption is connected knowing however radical spent the wealth and what interaction it had. The survey includes questions astir spending, savings, debt, employment, nutrient and lodging insecurity, among different topics.

The squad is getting adjacent to wrapping up the archetypal survey, Frisvold said. Other phases volition see conducting in-depth interviews, arsenic good arsenic analyzing administrative data. A travel up survey volition beryllium sent retired adjacent summer.

“We anticipation that this (study) volition supply accusation to you each to assistance successful your policymaking ability,” Frisvold told the committee successful August. “We besides anticipation this helps to pass the U.S. Department of Treasury to the assortment of antithetic uses of ARPA funds.”

Donna Brooks, the county’s grants coordinator, said Johnson County is successful an “interesting presumption to beryllium capable to lend to a nationalist conversation.” It’s an accidental to recognize however this benignant of concern impacts assemblage need, she added.

Getting the cheque was ‘emotional’

Receiving a cheque from the nonstop assistance programme was an “emotional experience” for Rosalba Gudiel, who has lived successful Iowa City for 10 years. It was the archetypal clip she has received this benignant of support. Gudiel has a payer recognition fig and pays taxes, but owed to her migration presumption was excluded from the COVID-19 alleviation checks.

Gudiel told The Gazette successful February she was going to use for nonstop assistance and usage the wealth to wage bills that accumulated during the commencement of the pandemic erstwhile her hours were chopped astatine Micky’s Irish Pub.

After receiving the check, Gudiel was capable to wage disconnected astir 2 months of energy and h2o bills. She was besides capable to usage immoderate of the wealth connected rent, but inactive is catching up connected that payment.

“Even erstwhile it took truthful overmuch clip (to get the money), it was bully due to the fact that I person accumulated galore bills, truthful that was precise utile to person that money,” Gudiel said precocious done an interpreter.

Driver’s licenses for immigrants

After advocating for nonstop payments, Escucha Mi Voz is readying adjacent steps. Gudiel said 1 of the adjacent issues the radical volition beryllium warring for is driver’s licenses for undocumented residents.

Escucha Mi Voz co-chair Sophie Banegas said driver’s licenses for undocumented Iowans is among the issues astir important to migrant workers. Other topics see creating a imperishable nonstop assistance program, expanding wide assistance, wellness attraction and entree to higher education.

The topics were utilized to trade questions for section and statehouse candidates during a campaigner forum connected Oct. 23.

“You person to combat for things that you want, and that’s what we’re seeing present and reasoning astir erstwhile it comes to driver’s licenses,” Cortez Martinez said.

A full of 17 states and the District of Columbia person laws that let immigrants to get driver’s licenses careless of their migration status, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Individuals inactive request to supply definite documentation and grounds of residency successful the state.

These states include: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Massachusetts voters volition determine connected Election Day if undocumented immigrants tin get a driver’s license.

Santos Rivas, an Iowa City nonmigratory who immigrated from El Salvador, said a driver’s licence is indispensable.

“The astir important happening that we request erstwhile we travel present is simply a mode that we tin determination around,” Rivas said done an interpreter. “We request a mode to get ourselves to work, to get our kids to schoolhouse and to beryllium portion of this community.”

Comments: (319) 339-3155; izabela.zaluska@thegazette.com