The additional funding will double the amount of money Alameda County has allocated for its immigrant and refugee communities.
Funding recipients include the Alameda County Immigration Legal Education Partnership (ACILEP), California Coalition for Immigrant Justice, and Trabajadores Unidos (Workers United).
The funding will boost legal defense services, bolster community education efforts, and extend the county’s rapid response hotline to seven days a week.
Supervisors Nikki Fortunato Bas and Elisa Marquez strongly supported the decision.
“And today, under the current administration, there's been a 530 percent increase where 698 calls was the peak,” said Bas, at the October 14th supervisor meeting.
Right now, Alameda County doesn’t have a permanent Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs. But officials say this could change that.
The board will review a coordination plan with agencies and community partners on Oct. 21 and again on Oct. 28.
