California governor announced Wednesday that starting in May, undocumented immigrants could receive $500 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Approximately 150,000 undocumented adult Californians will receive a one-time cash benefit of $500 per adult with a cap of $1,000 per household, Gov. Newsom said in the statement.
“Many Californians are one paycheck away from losing their homes or from being able to put food on their tables, and COVID-19 has only made these challenges worse,” said Governor Newsom. “California is focused on getting relief dollars and unemployment assistance in the hands of those who need it as quickly as possible.”
Gov. Newsom stated that out of the $125 million being provided to help them, $75 million would come from the state, and $50 million will come from other private philanthropic sponsors.
Gov. Newsom also announced that on Monday, the Employment Development Department (EDD) would launch a new call center that will operate seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The Unemployment Insurance Branch will hire more staff with 1,340 employees, including 740 EDD employees and 600 employees from across state government, Gov. Newsom said.
