Richmond has awarded three local nonprofits grants totaling around $900,000 to expand legal aid for immigrants, do community outreach and continue the “Know Your Rights” campaign.
The organizations receiving the funds are: Catholic Charities of the East Bay, East Bay Sanctuary Covenant and the Multicultural Institute. In addition to funding the legal defense for people facing deportation, the grants help undocumented immigrants to apply for visas, green cards or citizenship, the city said earlier this month.
East Bay Sanctuary Covenant received $323,118 to fund legal defense and community clinics over a two-year period. It expects to serve over 330 residents through legal clinics, screening, and jointly organized events with Richmond organizations.
Lisa Hoffman, co-executive director at Sanctuary Covenant, said the Richmond clinic will be modeled after a program that the nonprofit runs in Oakland, where people can meet in person with legal specialists.“We see these community-based legal consultations as deportation prevention,” Hoffman said. “It’s a way for people to have accurate information, understand their options and prevent family separations.”
The ESBC plans to use some of the money to hire a legal specialist, specifically, an attorney focusing on removal defense, a legal representative who is accredited by the Department of Justice, and a paralegal. Hoffman said the need for legal help is urgent in Richmond. She said immigration legal service organizations in the East Bay have been operating beyond capacity.
“We’re in such a critical moment right now,” Hoffman said. “Federal funding cuts have impacted everyone in this ecosystem. There are huge waitlists for people to even be able to talk with an attorney.”
Hoffman said the Richmond legal staff will include people from the community, which is essential at a time when immigration enforcement has “created an enormous amount of fear, even among people who are here legally.”
Catholic Charities of the East Bay received the largest bulk of the funds, $394,225. The nonprofit is celebrating its 90th anniversary in the East Bay this year. Its legal services arm is providing aid to immigrants facing ICE actions. It received 20,000 calls in 2024 but could only help 2,500 people because of limited resources, the organization said.
Catholic Charities wasn’t available for comment on the announcement of grant recipients. But managing attorney Ashley Byers-Cosgrove said in an interview before the news, “We’ve been in the Richmond community for a long time, and people know us. They feel comfortable coming to us with these sensitive matters.”
‘Know your rights’
Misinformation continues to be a big problem in many immigrant communities and spreads fear and distrust. To address this, Richmond is awarding the Multicultural Institute $130,000 to launch a “Know Your Rights” campaign. The nonprofit works on economic and labor force development.
Rudy Lara, senior program director at the institute’s Richmond office, said the organization will buy billboard space and conduct in-person workshops. Lara said the funding will be critical in raising public awareness.
“We are in a lower middle-class community,” Lara said. “Richmond, we don’t have that much promotion among the community.”
East Bay Sanctuary Convent, Catholic Charities and the Multicultural Center say they will coordinate services to build on strengths and serve as many residents as possible.
Draft contracts for the grants are expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.