Financial relief for immigrants on Central Coast overwhelmed with applicants

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION)

UPDATE 5/20/2020 3:30 p.m. Due to technical difficulties, the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County has changed the phone line to apply for Disaster Relief Assistance for Immigrants has changed to 1-877-282-7174.

Call centers around the state faced challenges because of the volume of applicants.

PREVIOUS STORY: Financial help for undocumented immigrants in California opened up on Monday, but across the state the call centers could not handle the volume of applicants.

California’s undocumented immigrants can apply for disaster relief payments of up to $1,000 per household under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s coronavirus emergency assistance plan.

The Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County is in charge all of the Central Coast applications. After only a couple hours the phone lines crashed on Monday, and are still not back up and running as of Tuesday afternoon.