If you are a victim advocate, attorney, judge, or other professional working with an immigrant victim and you would like to receive case specific technical assistance on access to publically funded benefits and services that an immigrant crime victim or immigrant child would be eligible to receive in you state, please call NIWAP for technical assistance. (202) 274-4457 or email us at info@niwap.org. You can also visit the public benefits section of NIWAP’s web library by clicking here.
To receive updates, sign up for NIWAP’s outreach list here. You can elect NIWAP’s general outreach list to receive notices of trainings, webinars, new materials, resources and policies. Judges, court staff, law enforcement and prosecutors can sign up for lists exclusively open to staff working at one of these government agencies.
You can view the full presentation of the DVHTAC COVID-19 Special Topic Series: Housing Immigrant Survivors and COVID-19 on YouTube here. Slides are attached.
Public Benefits Interactive Maps and State Charts
- Interactive Public Benefits Map
- All State Public Benefits Charts
- A Guide to Public Benefits Map for Immigrant Survivors of Crime
Webinars
- Immigrant Access to Federally Funded Housing Webinar: Collaboration with the National Housing Law Project
- Public Benefits and Services Legally Available to Immigrant Children and Victims – What Courts Need to Know?
- Public Benefits and Services Legally Available to Immigrant Children and Victims – What Courts Need to Know?
- Healthcare: Understanding the Affordable Care Act and How it Affects Immigrant Survivors
- Yes We Can!: Public Benefits for Immigrant Survivors
Legal Rights Overviews and Brochures
- Multilingual Materials for Victims and Advocates
- World Language Identification Guide: I Speak (Raksha)
- DHS Infographic: Protection for Immigrant Victims (January 12, 2017)
- Immigration Options for Victims of Crime – DHS Brochure
- Information on the Legal Rights Available to Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence in the United States and Facts about Immigrating on a Marriage-Based Visa
- Pathways to Immigration Relief for Students (June 20, 2014)
Selected Materials on Access to Public Benefits for Immigrant Survivors
Bench Cards
- Public Benefits Flow Charts: VAWA Self-Petition and Cancellation, U-Visas, T-Visas and SIJS
- Family Court Bench Card on Immigrant Crime Victim Access to Public Benefits and Services
- Bench Card on Trafficking Victim Benefits Eligibility Process
- Bench Card on U Visa Victim Benefits Eligibility Process
- Bench Card on VAWA Public Benefits Eligibility Process
Overviews and Chapters, Multiple Benefits
- Public Benefits Toolkit
- Economic Relief and Public Benefits materials List – Multi-State Judicial Training (Albuquerque)
- Programs Open to Immigrant Victims and All Immigrants Without Regard to Immigration Status
- Anti-Discrimination Provisions that Apply to Programs Receiving Federal Funding Serving Victims of Violence against Women Crimes
- Chapter 16.1 Appendix: HHS Funded Programs Open to All Immigrants
- Chapter 16: Access To Programs And Services That Can Help Victims of Sexual Assault
- Chapter 04.1: Access to Programs and Services that Can Help Battered Immigrants
- Chapter 04.2: Public Benefits Access for Battered Immigrant Women and Children
- Chapter 4.3 Barriers to Accessing Services: The Importance of Advocates Accompanying Battered Immigrants Applying for Public Benefits
Housing – Shelter and Transitional Housing
- Joint Agency Letter on Shelters and Transitional Housing (Web Page August 12, 2016)
- Webinar-Immigrant Crime Victim Access to Federally Assisted Housing (February 22, 2017)
- HUD-HHS-DOJ Letter Regarding Immigrant Access to Housing and Services
- HUD, SNAPS, The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 and HUD’s Homeless Assistance Programs (Aug. 16, 2016)
- NIWAP, Brochure for Transitional Housing
- NIWAP, Fact Sheet: Immigrant Access to Emergency Shelter and Transitional Housing (Oct.23, 2016)
Housing – Public and Assisted
- Access to Public and Assisted Housing VAWA Self-Petitioners –Webpage (January 26, 2017)
- HUD, Memo for Secretary Julian Castro from Tonya Robinson, Acting General Counsel re: Eligibility of Battered Noncitizen Self-Petitioners for Financial Assistance Under Section 214 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980 (Dec. 15, 2016)
- HUD, Notice PIH 2017-02 (HA), Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Self-Petitioner Verification Procedures (Jan. 19, 2017)
- NHLP, Memo: HUD Housing Covered by Section 214 of the Housing and Community Development Act
- NHLP, Chart on Federally Assisted Housing and Immigrant Eligibility (Jan. 2018)
- NIWAP, How to Advocate for Public and Assisted Housing for Your Battered Immigrant or Trafficking Survivor Client (Feb. 8, 2017)
- NIWAP & Legal Momentum, HUD Programs and Immigrant Eligibility, Chapter 16.2 (Feb. 8, 2017)
CARES ACT and COVID-19 Related Resources Accessible to Immigrant Victims
- Immigrant Crime Victim Access to Relief during the COVID-19 Crisis under the CARES and FFCRA Acts (May 20, 2020)
- Healthcare Available to Immigrant Crime Victims During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Resources to Support Immigrant Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition: Frequently Asked Question: Eligibility for Assistance Based on Immigration Status (May 5, 2020)
- Safe Housing Partnerships: Federal Safe Housing Funding Resources – CARES Act (April 22, 2020)
- Safe Housing for Immigrant Survivors: Legal Resources
- Tenant Rights of Domestic Violence Survivors During COVID – 19 (National Housing Law Project)
Public Charge and Immigrant Victims
- The Impact of the 2020 Public Charge Rule on Transitional Housing (July 9, 2020)
- Post-VAWA 2013: Immigrant Crime Victims and Public Charge
- Privacy Protections for Immigrant Applying for Public Benefits
Low-Income Home Energy and Weatherization Assistance Programs
Non-Work Social Security Numbers
- Obtaining Non-work Social Security Numbers Needed by VAWA Self-Petitioners to Maintain Public and Assisted Housing
- Request That SSA Issue A Non-Work SSN to a Benefits Eligible Immigrant (June 2014 – Washington State Sample)
- Social Security Administration Program Operations Manual System (POMS) (July 2017)
- Triagency Letter: Citizenship Immigration Status and Social Security Numbers
- Evidence Checklists for Work with Immigrant Survivors – Includes Benefits and Non-Work Social Security Numbers
- Obtaining Non-Work Social Security Numbers