Promoting Justice and Healing

Immigrant and refugee support

San Fernando Valley County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Immigrant and refugee families, especially Indigenous asylum-seekers from Central America, flee systemic violence, poverty, and displacement, undertaking a dangerous journey marked by trafficking, exploitation, and trauma in search of safety in the US.
Upon arrival, they face another set of barriers, including denial of legal work status, unaffordable legal representation, lack of healthcare access, unstable housing and food insecurity. Unable to legally work while awaiting asylum, families are forced into a state of prolonged dependency. They often must rely on under-resourced aid or informal labor that leaves them vulnerable to exploitation.
While mothers are overwhelmed by the emotional toll of surviving in an unwelcoming environment, their children bear the stress, often experiencing emotional and developmental delays, becoming disengaged from education amid instability. Without support, families face compounding trauma, deteriorating mental health, and further marginalization.

At the Refugee Children Center (RCC), we offer comprehensive, culturally-grounded services to support refugee and migrant children and their families. Our programs include immigration legal support, bilingual social services, caregiver and youth enrichment, food and basic needs assistance, early childhood education, and community-led initiatives such as a culturally responsive garden, cultural reconnection activities, and environmental stewardship.
We aim to expand support services through targeted legal advocacy and culturally rooted economic empowerment initiatives. Our families, predominantly Indigenous families, face prolonged legal limbo without representation, deepening trauma and risking deportation. This program will offer legal workshops, direct referrals and stipends for legal services, and multilingual Know Your Rights training to equip caregivers with the tools to navigate immigration courts and safeguard their families.
At the same time, we will grow new pathways for mothers to support their households through skill-building initiatives rooted in traditional practices. From textile and jewelry-making to community cooking classes and a new garden-to-table food sovereignty program, participants will reclaim agency and cultural identity while preparing for long-term self-sufficiency. Together, these efforts respond to the immediate legal and economic barriers our families face, while planting seeds for healing, dignity, and intergenerational resilience.

If successful, this program will inspire a countywide shift toward justice, healing, and empowerment for immigrant children and families. We envision an LA County where no child faces immigration court alone; where families access legal aid, health care, housing, and education; and where mothers are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities to rebuild their lives with dignity.
In our first year, we aim to impact 200 families, with plans to expand each year. As we grow, we envision a coordinated network of community-led programs offering legal advocacy, culturally rooted education, and economic tools that promote resilience. Through RCC’s initiatives like gardening, cooking, textile arts, and jewelry making, families will gain income pathways while navigating the immigration system.
Justice and healing begin when individuals lead with their strengths. Our trauma-informed, culturally-grounded services protect families’ rights, preserve heritage, and build collective power.