OAK PARK COMMUNITY
MIGRANT RESETTLEMENT MISSION
A MUTUAL AID EFFORT
A community-driven volunteer effort
seeking to connect asylum-seekers currently in Oak Park to safe and secure long term housing as part
of the next step on their journey
Logo art titled “Immigrants from Venezuela” done by Carlos, an Oak Park asylumseekeing youth.
“Humanity is our ultimate community, and everyone plays a crucial role.”
THIS IS A 100% VOLUNTEER EFFORT AND WILL ONLY SUCCEED WITH THE SUPPORT OF MANY
WAYS TO LEND A HELPING HAND
HOUSING
Are you a landlord with property for rent,
an airbnb owner,
a part a congregation
with a parsonage or
have contacts with
available long term
housing options?
Let us know!
FUND A FAMILY
Would you, your family, friends, congregation, and/or employer be interested in funding a family in their resettlement journey? You can crowdsource to support a family in putting down roots and finding stability.
BECOME A
COMPANION
“COMPAÑERO/A”
Provide support to new arrivals by becoming a companion and assisting them as they navigate this next phase of their journey, from helping with enrollment in services to providing a sense of community.
FUNDRAISING
Can you host a fundraiser for this effort? Do you have information on grants, donor advised funds, and/or other funding streams?
Let us know!
TEMPORARY
HOME SHARE
We are working under time constraints. If needed, consider temporarily providing shelter in your home while we find more permanent housing .
HOME GOODS
Help make their house a home! Please considering purchasing these much needed household items from this wishlist.
SUPPORT OTHER LOCAL EFFORTS
Hire. Donate. Volunteer.
Find out ways to provide support to other local migrant efforts.
FUNDRAISING EVENT
Sunday, Feb. 25 at Roberts West Side
7321 Madison Street, Forest Park
3-6pm
Join us at this family friendly event, at one of the Oak Park area's coolest new venues, to support our cause! Tickets include tasty Venezuelan treats, live music, kids activities, a silent auction, amazing raffles. and more!
PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO JOIN IN THE EFFORT!
ABOUT
On Halloween night 2023 during the first snowfall and frigid temperatures of the winter season, nearly 200 migrants (many of whom are children)
living in tents outside of a nearby city police station, arrived in Oak Park seeking warm shelter from the life threatening weather conditions.
Since then it’s been heartening to see how Oak Park Area community members and various faith communities have
come together in the past few months to provide much-needed support.
The kindness and empathy shared with these individuals is truly admirable.
However, we are now at a crossroads as The Village of Oak Park will end its official engagement with this
asylum-seeking community on February 29, 2024, with no other options but to return to city shelters.
This is a moment for the many pillars of our community to come together to navigate viable and sustainable paths forward for the new arrivals.
A Resettlement Task Force (consisting of local area volunteers and immigration advocates), alongside The Community of Congregations,
and in collaboration with Housing Forward and West Cook YMCA, share a mission to coordinate a thoughtful, intentional, and impactful transition
for the 140 new arrivals (40 individuals and families) in Oak Park, who have chosen to work with us and will center their needs.
We are seeking to immediately raise $900,000 to assist with rental support for up to 1 year and connect asylum-seeking Oak Parkers to safe and secure long term housing options in the Chicagoland area and beyond, in order to help provide them with the time needed to establish roots along this next step of their journey.
We firmly believe in our communities’ collective intellect, creativity, and compassion to help provide them
with the sense of stability and security they so desperately need while helping to give them the tools required to survive
in this foreign land and start living the life they braved unimaginable circumstances to have.
We know that the hard work of resettlement can be collectively shared by the many who are moved to support in manifold ways.
We remain committed and hopeful for success in these endeavors and rely on the support of the broader community to streamline support, funds, and resources.
The Community of Congregations is serving as the fiscal agent
Please make sure to specify Resettlement Fund in the special instructions.
All donations are tax-deductible
FAQ’S
1. What We Are:
A short-term local mutual aid effort composed 100% of volunteers. Neighbors helping neighbors and connecting this group of local asylum seekers to the goodwill and generosity of the community and all those who are moved to support our efforts.
2. What We Are Not:
An official organization, a housing authority of any kind, a long term solution to this humanitarian crisis
3. Who is the Community of Congregations and what role do they play?:
We are grateful that the CoC had stepped up as the fiscal agent in our resettlement efforts. The CoC is a interfaith non for profit organization consisting of various local faith based communities, several of whom have or are currently providing temporary shelter. With that, it makes donations tax deductible and also allows for it to go farther from money matching opportunities such as one from an employer for example.
4.What is Being Done With the Funds?:
The Resettlement Funds will be used solely towards the purpose of rental support for this . Other needs such as household items are being covered in a variety of other ways.
We are working on a system of tracking and transparency, and we will share more details on that as soon as they are worked through..
5. Where Will Funds be Coming From?:
We are seeking to gain funding in a variety of ways from generous independent donations both big and small, to fundraising events, available grants, donors and more.
6. Who is on the Task Force?:
The Resettlement Task Force is currently comprised of local area volunteers and immigration advocates including Maya Puentes as Housing Lead, Brynne Hovde as Life Companion Lead, Lisa Desai as Home Share Lead, Betty Alzamora as Legal Lead, Nora Sanchez as New Arrival Programming Lead, Pemalyn Hessing as Fundraising Lead and Walin Wong as Homegoods Lead.
We will continue to expand and seek the help of additional volunteers to join various subcommittees and support us in our efforts as needed.
7. How are We Deciding Which Families go Where?:
We are currently seeking all viable and sustainable housing options in the Chicagoland Area and beyond. While we hope to keep families with children currently enrolled in Oak Park schools in the Oak Park area, locations will ultimately be determined by housing availability.
8. Are We Working with the Village of Oak Park?:
While we are not working directly with The Village of Oak Park, they are aware of our efforts and we seek to remain as collaborative as possible and keep open lines of communication as it relates to our goals.
9. Does The Village of Oak Park Have a Separate Task Force?
That we are aware of, the village does not have a separate task force.
10. After I fill out the Form, What can I Expect?
Upon completing a form, someone from our team will be in contact to provide more information and ways to move forward. Friendly reminder that this is a 100% volunteer effort so we appreciate your patience while we get back to you.