Max Gelber, a Director of Special Projects for CFU and Staff Member from Uyghur American Association, put together a COVID-19 guide to resources. Please click here to access the document. If anyone needs help navigating resources, please contact Max Gelber (954-297-9694; Max@UyghurAA.org).
The Google Doc is an open, view-only file that he is updating as he gets new information. The guide includes information on how to access federal and state benefits (unemployment, stimulus COVID-19 stimulus payment, SNAP, Medicaid, etc) and local government/non-government assistance (utilities, rent, food, etc). While it focuses on Northern Virginia and Maryland, it also has useful information for anyone living in the US.
In digging for information, he found out that folks can call up the Virginia CommonHelp (Medicaid, TANF, Medicaid, SNAP, etc), Virginia Employment Commission (unemployment claims), and Fairfax County’s Coordinated Services Planning (CSP) Department (rent, food, and other local-level assistance) lines and can ACCESS AN INTERPRETER (UYGHUR, UZBEK, CHINESE, RUSSIAN, and many other languages) FREE OF CHARGE.
Another important thing is that you do not need to be a citizen or green card holder to get the $1,200 stimulus check. Eligibility for the stimulus check is as follows:
- Are a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or qualifying resident alien(see substantial presence test);
- Cannot be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return;
- Have a Social Security number (SSN) that is valid for employment (valid SSN); and
- Have adjusted gross income below an amount based on your filing status and the number of your qualifying children.
For those who are not required to file federal income taxes for 2018 and 2019 (if your income is less than $12,200, you’re married filing jointly and together your income is less than $24,400, you have no income, you have qualifying children under age 17 and you receive SSI or VA benefits), you can still get the stimulus payment by entering your information on the IRS Non-Filers portal here. For more information, visit this website.
