Citizenship Loan Pilot Project ONEAMERICA & LOWER VALLEY CREDIT - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

ONEAMERICA & LOWER VALLEY CREDIT UNION

Citizenship Loan Pilot Project

Washington New Americans

• A program of

OneAmerica and the State of Washington

• Goal: Connect

eligible Legal Permanent Residents with affordable legal services to become U.S. citizens

Washington New Americans

 Free application assistance

at group application events (Citizenship Days). Includes legal review by volunteer immigration attorneys

 20-language statewide

hotline

 Network of 8 community

subgrantees application that provide assistance, citizenship classes

 4,000+ applications since

2010

Lower Valley Credit Union

 Branches in Yakima

Valley area, but any Washington resident can join

 80%+ Hispanic

members, 88% of members are low- income

 Certified CDFI  Many services for

ITIN holders

Naturalization, in a nutshell

 Must be green card-holders for at least 5 years before

applying

 Must speak, read and write English (with 2 exceptions)  Must pass US history and civics test  Must prove “good moral character”  HIGHLY advisable to get legal help to apply; laundry

list of criminal, civil and immigration violations that can result in a denial, or sometimes loss of green card (deportation)

 Application is 21 pages and adjudication process takes

anywhere from 4-8 months from submittal to interview + oath

Common Barriers to Naturalization

Cost

($680+ legal fees) English ability Criminal charges/ issues Access to quality legal services Misinformation

Client Profile in Yakima Valley

74% had been green card holders for more than 10 years 88% had household incomes below 200% of the Federal Poverty Line ($48,000/yr for family of 4)

65 and

• lder

16% 50-64 years 25% 30-49 years 41% 18-29 years 18%

Age

77% 9% 3% 1% 2% 2% 3% 3%

Countries of Origin

Mexico Guatemala Honduras Colombia El Salvador Russia Phillippines Other

Target population for loan is quite small

 Full fee waivers available from USCIS for low-

income applicants

 Public benefits (food stamps, Medicaid)  OR 150% of federal poverty level

 For example:

 Most recent clinic in Yakima on April 25:

40 successfully completed N400s 29 completed fee waiver applications =only 11 people who might be interested in the loan

What We Did

 Cross training on loan

information and naturalization process

 Mutual referral system

between OneAmerica/La Casa Hogar in Yakima and Lower Valley CU

 LVCU presence at

Citizenship Days

 Host citizenship clinics

in the branch

Results since July 2014

 89 citizenship

applications completed over three area clinics (Pasco, Sunnyside, Yakima)

 Of those, 19 applied

for a citizenship loan

Recent clinic on 4/25 in Yakima

Other factors

 No immediate urgency for citizenship  Still considerable mistrust in community for

formal financial institutions – prefer borrowing from friends and family if possible

 English ability is still a huge barrier; many

clients in area do not know enough English and don’t qualify for English waiver. (20% of clients turned away at Yakima clinic for English reasons)

Success: Increased Economic Integration

 Citizenship loan is a trust-builder

and a gateway

 In addition to the 19 citizenship

loan applicants, there have been 27 NEW activities initiated as a result

• f this partnership

 Auto loans, other loans  Savings and checking accounts

 Attendees at branch clinics form

positive associations with a trusted financial institution – word spreads

Thelma, client at LVCU Branch clinic in Sunnyside

What’s Next

 Next clinic at LVCU Branch in Sunnyside on July 11!  LVCU on community Spanish radio  Continue to refer potential clients between both

• rganizations

 Further in the future – explore DACA and DAPA

loans

 High demand for these loans in other communities  Urgent need to apply  Applications are easier, fewer restrictions (e.g. English)  NO fee waivers available

S A R A H S U M A D I W A S H I N G T O N N E W A M E R I C A N S P R O G R A M M A N A G E R S A R A H @ W E A R E O N E A M E R I C A . O R G 2 0 6 - 4 5 2 - 8 4 2 3 J O S H B E C K F I N A N C E V P , L O W E R V A L L E Y C R E D I T U N I O N J B E C K @ L O W E R V A L L E Y C U . O R G 5 0 9 - 8 3 7 - 5 2 9 5

Questions?