$100k donation to help migrants cover rent, get on a 'pathway to self-sufficiency'

A $100,000 donation to the Instituto del Progreso Latino will help the nonprofit continue providing rental assistance to migrants.

“We partnered with Instituto because we wanted to make a difference by getting new arrivals out of the city shelters and on a pathway to self-sufficiency,” said David Fish, a lawyer who made the donation, at a news conference Wednesday.

The Instituto, which serves Latino immigrants and their families in Chicago, began helping new arrivals in May 2023 through its Project AMOR (Asylum Migrant Outreach Response) initiative, said Emmanuel Mandujano, the director of career pathways and student support service at Instituto.

Through the project, case managers at the nonprofit work with migrants and supply them with food and clothing donations, legal help, English as a second language classes and financial, rental and job assistance, Mandujano said.

But funds have been diminishing, Mandujano said, especially money dedicated to helping migrants find and pay for housing.

Zubaer Khan/Sun-Times

“Having this financial assistance from David gives the opportunity for families to cover their first deposit and gives families the possibility of covering their future rental payments,” Mandujano said.

Housing migrants in shelters should only be a short-term solution, said Karina Ayala-Bermejo, CEO and president of Instituto del Progreso Latino. Migrants don’t want to remain in shelters, she said, but they can’t leave them until they’re able to get jobs and permanent housing.

“Work permits for all is really going to be the solution because we are at the cusp of what could be a real homeless crisis. We have individuals who in the middle of April may be losing their shelter,” Ayala-Bermejo said. “They don’t want to be in the shelter. They want to be able to work. They want to be able to provide for their families.”

But the process for getting a work permit is too slow and funds are running low, Ayala-Bermejo said.

Zubaer Khan/Sun-Times

The Biden administration paved the way for some migrants to receive work permits last fall, but some say it takes too long and advocates have called on authorities to expedite the process. Meanwhile, many migrants have gotten creative to try and earn a living while waiting to get authorized to work legally.

Instituto has a legal aid team of pro-bono bilingual lawyers who help assess eligibility for asylum, temporary protected status and work authorization.

Helping migrants get jobs will also help Chicago’s labor shortage, said Fish, an employment attorney and founding partner at the law firm Fish Potter Bolaños.

“I’m asking for other members of the community to step up, and to help by making whatever contribution you can to help the new arrivals,” Fish said.

“I think these new arrivals are the future of Chicago. They’re going to be people who are working. They’re going to be buying or renting places to live; they’re going to be business owners in the future. And they’re going to be taxpayers eventually.”

They just need a little help first, he said.