My name is Aaron and I am representing Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a mutual aid organization helping communities heal and meet basic needs after ICE raids. I am a resident pediatrician in Minneapolis and I've had the opportunity to support this group as an organizer. I've been amazed by the selflessness, care and determination of my colleagues in their efforts to sustain our community.

We’ve already distributed over $236,000 in rent relief to more than 150 families, and we’re receiving more requests than we have resources to cover. We've partnered with our fiscal sponsor, the Family Housing Fund, to relaunch our fundraising campaign. I'm asking that you consider helping our mission with a donation to keep vulnerable neighbors housed throughout the current ICE surge.

Background:

Since December, federal agents, primarily ICE and Border Patrol, have been brutalizing our community: dragging people from cars, entering private homes without cause, brandishing weapons in front of children, deploying tear gas near families, and abducting parents at school bus stops. People are afraid to leave their homes – scared to go to work, to the doctor, to the grocery store, or even to take their children to school.

Across the Twin Cities, local families are facing detention, separation, and displacement due to these extreme ICE enforcement actions. Now, many in the community are facing an urgent financial crisis: the rent is due, fridges are empty, and basic household expenses are piling up.

In response, friends and neighbors came together to create Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a community-led support network rooted in mutual aid. We are powered by volunteers and many others who have brought people together in the spirit of care and community. The Family Housing Fund, a nonprofit based in the Twin Cities, has partnered with us as the fiscal sponsor for this relief effort to allow us to get funds quickly and safely to our neighbors in need.