Citizenship, a lifelong dream achieved!

Earlier this year I had the privilege of planning a workshop about US citizenship in partnership with OCCORD and CHIRLA for our San Juan community. It was hosted at Mountain View Church and 19 people attended. At the workshop, our neighbors learned about the next steps for those with legal residency status, and several of our neighbors were already eligible to apply for citizenship! 

Unfortunately there had been barriers for them to take that next step, some logistical and some financial.  Through these partnerships, community members were then invited to receive a scholarship for the application fees, eliminating one barrier. For the rest, that’s where Unidos’ commitment to People Over Programs comes in. Our community knows they can count on us to do our best to help with whatever they need. 

Over the next couple months, I helped reschedule appointments, sat with applicants as we worked through very long forms, helped one applicant obtain official copies of legal documents, provided study materials for the exam and even gave an applicant a ride to Santa Ana for her citizenship interview. Sometimes this peer-to-peer support is the missing link, connecting our community to their next step toward thriving.

This Fourth of July, two of our community members, Lucia and Isabel, will be celebrating as US Citizens for the first time! 

- Miriam Zuniga, Director of Programs for Adults