Help the Quintero Family Find a Safe Home

The family in this story came from Ecuador. Ecuador? You might be thinking. Isn't Ecuador a paradise where thousands of people go on vacation each year?

You would not be wrong... except that things in Ecuador have changed drastically since 2018.

International competition for control over drug trafficking routes has escalated tensions among local gangs and is driving extreme levels of violence. Homicides surged by 245% from 2020 to 2022, with the first half of 2023 witnessing a 75% increase compared to the same period in 2022.

This year, Ecuador is on track to have one of the world’s highest murder rates.

As conflict escalates between government forces and criminal armed groups, the safety of Ecuadorians is a growing concern. A rise in insecurity and displacement is hampering the ability of rural communities to access critical services and basic necessities.

Skyrocketing levels of violence, combined with persistent economic pressures, are eroding livelihoods and driving rates of poverty and humanitarian needs in 2024.

Rates of inequality and poverty have risen significantly, with 38% of Ecuadorians—especially rural communities and minority groups—living beneath the poverty line. Twenty percent of children under the age of 2 are chronically malnourished. The situation is exacerbated by armed groups who extort civilians under the threat of violence.

An uptick in homicides began to take place in 2016 but skyrocketed in 2020 as the country suffered the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. The restriction of movement left many struggling to make ends meet as businesses closed and laid off workers. The economic diagnosis of Ecuador prior to the pandemic was already bleak. According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Ecuador’s economy did not experience any growth in 2019, and its GDP actually contracted by 7.8 percent in 2020. The pandemic exacerbated levels of poverty, and by mid-2023, 4.9 million Ecuadorians lived in acute poverty (with an income of less than $3 a day), and 1.9 million lived in extreme poverty (with an income of less than $1.60 a day).

Organizations working with refugees and asylum seekers are seeing a rapid increase in the number of families from Ecuador arriving in the U.S. The Quintero family is one of them.

This couple and their 3 smart, beautiful girls made the journey to the U.S. last spring, experiencing months of hardship along the way. They were seeking medical care for their oldest daughter, who is experiencing vision loss that could not be treated in Ecuador, as well as running from gang violence that surrounded their community and made it dangerous to run the small food stand that supported them. When a bomb went off right outside their children's school, it was the last straw. They gathered their resources and began the long trek north.

The family remained in Mexico for months while they waited to enter legally with an appointment from the CPB One app. When they were finally able to obtain a coveted time slot, they traveled to Chicago where someone had promised to house them and provide them with jobs. Unfortunately, this person disappeared by the time they arrived in July, leaving them homeless and without resources.

The family has been staying in a shelter since their arrival, but the situation there is untenable. The entire family is constantly battling hunger to the point where 2 out of the 3 girls are medically malnourished. Mom is already enrolled in English classes at a local community college and has dreams of pursuing a nursing degree. All of the girls just made the honor roll at their school, despite having to study and do homework on their cots in a large room filled with people, noise, and chaos. Mom and Dad just received their legal work authorization (Mom did the whole application herself, using Google Translate. The social worker had never seen anyone who was able to do this before, and she was impressed). Dad just got some seasonal work at a factory, but it has not been nearly enough to rent an apartment.

The family is energetic, tenacious, and willing to work hard to achieve their dream of solving their daughter's medical issues, giving their children the ability to go to school in a safe place, and sending money home to support the family members they left behind.

Here is where the fundraiser comes in... shelters in Chicago are closing in anticipation of the changes that will be made after January 6. The family will be forced to leave soon, and they will have nowhere to go. The family has no credit history and has not worked for long enough to have saved money for rent and a security deposit on an apartment. They will likely move in with us while we help them look for a place to stay on a permanent basis.

I am seeking funding for the Quintero family for several reasons... the first part of the funds will help my family support them while they stay here in our home. The last time we had a family stay with us, we incurred lots of extra bills related to food and utility expenses. While I wish I had the income to support an extra family of 5 on my own, I have the will but not the resources.

The family needs a lawyer to move their asylum case along. We have a good one with a proven track record, but doing the legal work for the entire family will cost approximately 3,000 dollars. We are hoping to get things filed before the new administration is installed in January.

Finally, we hope to find an affordable apartment for the family here in Evanston. Because the family does not have a credit history, we need to pay a security deposit and several months' rent in order to convince someone to lease them an apartment. Having a cushion of cash will allow both parents to work and save for future rent payments.

The election results from last week were disheartening for many of us--immigrants have been insulted and vilified by those who will soon come to power. Please help us be a part of the resistance. Your help will be appreciated.

Sincerely,

Kristin