Gov. Newsom announces $125M fund for undocumented immigrants

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Gov. Gavin Newsom announced $125 million on Wednesday to help undocumented immigrants who are not eligible for unemployment insurance benefits and disaster relief, including the CARES Act, because of their immigration status.

 Approximately 150,000 undocumented adult Californians will receive a one-time cash benefit of $500 per adult with a cap of $1,000 per household, according to a news release from the governor's office.

Newsom said $75 million will come from the state's disaster relief fund and Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR), a network of foundations focused on immigration issues, has also committed to raising $50 million to support direct financial assistance to families of undocumented immigrants.

Individuals can apply for support beginning next month.

California has also developed an immigrant resource guide to provide information about COVID-19 related assistance, including public benefits, that are available to immigrant Californians.

Newsom also announced on Wednesday that the Employment Development Department (EDD) will launch a new call center on Monday that will operate 7 days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. 

The EDD will stand up a one-stop shop for individuals applying for unemployment insurance and the new federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program starting April 28.

The department's phone number is 1-800-300-5616.

The program will provide benefits to workers including the self-employed, ​individuals who may be employees but who lack sufficient work history and independent contractors.