Dear Friends,
Over the past months and years, you've seen countless news reports about people fleeing untenable situations to seek a better life in the United States. You've seen picture after video after post and read harrowing stories of escape, loss, detention, and resolve. What you may not have heard is that many of the people seeking asylum here are queer/LGBT and are fleeing extremely dangerous situations.
Back in April 2021, Cori and I connected with the Asylum Seekers Sponsorship Project (ASSP) for a training on how to support people who are coming to the States. We are so happy to share that in late July 2021, we welcomed a young LGBT adult from Mexico into our home.
Perhaps you've also wanted to help but have been unsure how. Here is a way to directly support someone who is seeking asylum in the U.S. We would love for you to join us.
We have brought together an amazing support team from Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Bay Area, who will help with everything from showing our new friend around town, to making medical appointments, to helping with enrollment in English and other classes, to assisting in the search for lawyers and navigating the asylum process. In addition, because someone seeking asylum cannot work - and because the process usually takes a year or more - one of the team's primary goals is to fundraise so that we can help meet all of our their needs.
That's where you come in.
For example, in the Bay Area:
- $50 pays a monthly phone bill
- $100 covers one month of public transport and the cost of a state ID
- $150 covers one month of healthcare needs
- $200 funds a trip to buy fresh clothes and shoes
- $600 buys groceries for three months
- $1,000 covers half the expected cost of a lawyer's retainer
- Anticipated expenses for the first 6 months are about $7,500
Please consider joining us to support this wonderful person! (We can't disclose their name and photo at the moment for safety reasons, but trust us, they are a sweetheart.) Any amount is super appreciated, and we would love for you to make a contribution that is meaningful to you - perhaps even a stretch. Monthly giving, when possible, will also help us sustain into the future. Again, all the funds we collect will go directly to supporting our new friend, who will be with us as long as they need to be.
Thank you so much!
Love,
Cori, Nick, and the Asylum Support Team
P.S. If you're interested in learning more about the asylum process in the U.S., check out this fact sheet from the American Immigration Council.
P.P.S. Please do not feel obligated to tip Go Fund Me if making a donation - it is not clear where that money goes.
P.P.P.S. Why seek asylum in the expensive Bay Area? It's because this is one of the safest places in the country for LGBT people, and there is a strong network of institutions that support our community.
Artwork by Jess X Snow
[Image Description: In the background, a full moon glows in a twilight sky. A fence of tall, wooden posts runs through small waves, out into the sea. On one side, a being with a body made of stars floats down from the sky and reaches through the posts. On the other side, two other beings with bodies made of stars reach towards the first.]
Over the past months and years, you've seen countless news reports about people fleeing untenable situations to seek a better life in the United States. You've seen picture after video after post and read harrowing stories of escape, loss, detention, and resolve. What you may not have heard is that many of the people seeking asylum here are queer/LGBT and are fleeing extremely dangerous situations.
Back in April 2021, Cori and I connected with the Asylum Seekers Sponsorship Project (ASSP) for a training on how to support people who are coming to the States. We are so happy to share that in late July 2021, we welcomed a young LGBT adult from Mexico into our home.
Perhaps you've also wanted to help but have been unsure how. Here is a way to directly support someone who is seeking asylum in the U.S. We would love for you to join us.
We have brought together an amazing support team from Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Bay Area, who will help with everything from showing our new friend around town, to making medical appointments, to helping with enrollment in English and other classes, to assisting in the search for lawyers and navigating the asylum process. In addition, because someone seeking asylum cannot work - and because the process usually takes a year or more - one of the team's primary goals is to fundraise so that we can help meet all of our their needs.
That's where you come in.
For example, in the Bay Area:
- $50 pays a monthly phone bill
- $100 covers one month of public transport and the cost of a state ID
- $150 covers one month of healthcare needs
- $200 funds a trip to buy fresh clothes and shoes
- $600 buys groceries for three months
- $1,000 covers half the expected cost of a lawyer's retainer
- Anticipated expenses for the first 6 months are about $7,500
Please consider joining us to support this wonderful person! (We can't disclose their name and photo at the moment for safety reasons, but trust us, they are a sweetheart.) Any amount is super appreciated, and we would love for you to make a contribution that is meaningful to you - perhaps even a stretch. Monthly giving, when possible, will also help us sustain into the future. Again, all the funds we collect will go directly to supporting our new friend, who will be with us as long as they need to be.
Thank you so much!
Love,
Cori, Nick, and the Asylum Support Team
P.S. If you're interested in learning more about the asylum process in the U.S., check out this fact sheet from the American Immigration Council.
P.P.S. Please do not feel obligated to tip Go Fund Me if making a donation - it is not clear where that money goes.
P.P.P.S. Why seek asylum in the expensive Bay Area? It's because this is one of the safest places in the country for LGBT people, and there is a strong network of institutions that support our community.
Artwork by Jess X Snow
[Image Description: In the background, a full moon glows in a twilight sky. A fence of tall, wooden posts runs through small waves, out into the sea. On one side, a being with a body made of stars floats down from the sky and reaches through the posts. On the other side, two other beings with bodies made of stars reach towards the first.]