<div>This fundraiser is just one branch of the "Housing Not Detention - Vivienda No Detención" Campaign ran by Housekeys Action Network Denver (HAND) aimed at aligning migrants’ rights groups, organizers, &amp; community members while simultaneously advocating for policies &amp; actions with the desired outcome of ending private immigrant detention on an abolitionist basis. “El Pueblo Unido Jamás Sera Vencido!” You have chanted it on the streets, your balcony, a local bar, or your car, now it’s time to step into community &amp; show our leaders what community power looks like. 
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<div><strong>WHY NOW:</strong>
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<div>All around us, we are seeing signs of despair as communities are ripped apart at higher rates. New policies arise &amp; old laws are enacted to the utmost harshest level, resulting in more &amp; more innocent people being taken from their families &amp; held in for-profit immigrant detention centers like GEO in Aurora. This sort of racist &amp; xenophobic treatment towards migrants has gone on for ages, &amp; the only proven strategy to rise above these dark times has been to unite our communities &amp; stand up for our most vulnerable members.
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<div>The City &amp; County of Denver denied pleas from families, advocates, &amp; community members to amend the Proposed FY 2026 budget to include allocation of funds for a 280+ family shelter. Refusing to accept an issue does not make it disappear. As we keep fighting for City accountability, community must step in to address this growing crisis.
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<div>Immigrant detention centers like GEO Aurora ICE Processing Center exponentially increase the need for housing in our communities. These detention centers are owned and operated by private for-profit businesses, the largest of them being GEO Group and CoreCivic. They destroy communities and tear families apart by criminalizing and detaining people simply based on citizenship.
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<div>Now under the current administration, even those with legal status - green card holders, VISA holders, even legal permanent residents - are being disappeared. To date, Immigration &amp; Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Colorado has detained an average daily population of 1,146 of your neighbors. Neighbors like a father of a family of 3 (11yo, 6yo, 11mo) whose wife contacted HAND, stating she has not heard from him in 2 months. They’ve found themselves facing eviction. Their story is one of many that HAND is supporting with these funds, including several already at-risk families who have taken in children of deported family members.
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<div><strong>WHY HOUSING ASSISTANCE:</strong>
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<div>The housing assistance element is a critical part of the equation because we are seeing a pipeline being enforced where, at the moment, men who tend to be the breadwinners in their families are being detained, leaving their partners &amp; children in housing that they are no longer able to afford. More &amp; more mothers with young children are left without options &amp; can end up:
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<li>1. overcrowding our already inaccessible family shelters with waitlists over 3 months long
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<li>2. doubling, sometimes tripling, up in apartments of friends or family members, risking violating the lease &amp; being evicted, or
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<li>3. especially in the case of those recently arriving who have no close relationships locally, on the streets, hiding from being swept in less &amp; less visible areas thanks to City leadership’s targeting of visible unhoused folks.
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<div>Some attempt to move, but then they are further separated from their loved one who is detained, &amp; there are no better supports for them in other cities, states, or anywhere in this country as they continue to hide, resulting in so much instability in their lives, &amp; kids missing out on getting an education. <strong>By advocating for families to stay together in affordable housing, we prevent children from being on the streets, lessen the pressure on already over-capacity family shelters, &amp; support longterm, sustainable solutions for these vulnerable families to remain active &amp; valuable members of our community.</strong>
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<div>HAND has been visiting detainees &amp; their families &amp; has an ever-growing list of those in need of our help at this very moment. <strong>We are asking you to help your community by committing to a monthly donation - as little as $10 per month helps keep little ones of the streets. </strong>Otherwise, please contribute whatever you can as often as you can to support these at-risk families, &amp; reach out to get involved in other ways.
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<div>If you ever wondered what you'd be doing if it were your neighbors being disappeared... Here is your chance.
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Anonymous

Morgan Matter

Michael Kengmana

Urgent Rental Assistance for Families of Migrant Detainees

Still $12,471 to go. Help us build momentum.