Citizenship Loan Pilot Project ONEAMERICA & LOWER VALLEY CREDIT UNION
Washington New Americans A program of • OneAmerica and the State of Washington Goal: Connect • eligible Legal Permanent Residents with affordable legal services to become U.S. citizens
Washington New Americans Free application assistance at group application events (Citizenship Days). Includes legal review by volunteer immigration attorneys 20-language statewide hotline Network of 8 community subgrantees application that provide assistance, citizenship classes 4,000+ applications since 2010
Lower Valley Credit Union Branches in Yakima Valley area, but any Washington resident can join 80%+ Hispanic members, 88% of members are low- income Certified CDFI Many services for ITIN holders
Naturalization, in a nutshell Must be green card-holders for at least 5 years before applying Must speak, read and write English (with 2 exceptions) Must pass US history and civics test Must prove “good moral character” HIGHLY advisable to get legal help to apply; laundry list of criminal, civil and immigration violations that can result in a denial, or sometimes loss of green card (deportation) Application is 21 pages and adjudication process takes anywhere from 4-8 months from submittal to interview + oath
Common Barriers to Naturalization Cost ($680+ legal fees) English Misinformation ability Access to Criminal quality legal charges/ services issues
Client Profile in Yakima Valley Age 88% had 65 and 18-29 older years Countries of Origin 16% household incomes 18% 50-64 below 200% of the years 30-49 25% years Federal Poverty 41% 3% Line ($48,000/yr 3% 2% 2% 1% 3% for family of 4) 9% 77% 74% had been green card holders for more than 10 years Mexico Guatemala Honduras Colombia El Salvador Russia Phillippines Other
Target population for loan is quite small Full fee waivers available from USCIS for low- income applicants Public benefits (food stamps, Medicaid) OR 150% of federal poverty level For example: Most recent clinic in Yakima on April 25: 40 successfully completed N400s 29 completed fee waiver applications =only 11 people who might be interested in the loan
What We Did Cross training on loan information and naturalization process Mutual referral system between OneAmerica/La Casa Hogar in Yakima and Lower Valley CU LVCU presence at Citizenship Days Host citizenship clinics in the branch
Results since July 2014 Recent clinic on 4/25 in Yakima 89 citizenship applications completed over three area clinics (Pasco, Sunnyside, Yakima) Of those, 19 applied for a citizenship loan
Other factors No immediate urgency for citizenship Still considerable mistrust in community for formal financial institutions – prefer borrowing from friends and family if possible English ability is still a huge barrier; many clients in area do not know enough English and don’t qualify for English waiver. ( 20% of clients turned away at Yakima clinic for English reasons)
Success: Increased Economic Integration Citizenship loan is a trust-builder and a gateway In addition to the 19 citizenship loan applicants, there have been 27 NEW activities initiated as a result of this partnership Auto loans, other loans Savings and checking accounts Attendees at branch clinics form positive associations with a trusted financial institution – word spreads Thelma, client at LVCU Branch clinic in Sunnyside
What’s Next Next clinic at LVCU Branch in Sunnyside on July 11! LVCU on community Spanish radio Continue to refer potential clients between both organizations Further in the future – explore DACA and DAPA loans High demand for these loans in other communities Urgent need to apply Applications are easier, fewer restrictions (e.g. English) NO fee waivers available
Questions? S A R A H S U M A D I W A S H I N G T O N N E W A M E R I C A N S P R O G R A M M A N A G E R S A R A H @ W E A R E O N E A M E R I C A . O R G 2 0 6 - 4 5 2 - 8 4 2 3 J O S H B E C K F I N A N C E V P , L O W E R V A L L E Y C R E D I T U N I O N J B E C K @ L O W E R V A L L E Y C U . O R G 5 0 9 - 8 3 7 - 5 2 9 5
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