Canal Alliance Expands Legal Services for Latino Immigrants with $204,000 Grant from Marin Community Foundation  

Canal Alliance is a crucial resource for the Latino immigrant community, providing Know Your Rights training and Family Preparedness education workshops, in addition to providing ongoing legal services and public charge counseling.  

Public charge counseling is a critical service for the immigrant community here in Marin, particularly now in our changing political climate. Our team advises clients about which public benefits they can safely enroll in (housing assistance, Medicaid, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)), without it negatively affecting their application process for a green card or visa.   

We are grateful to have recently received a generous two-year, $204,000 grant from the Marin Community Foundation (MCF); with this funding we are now able to hire a dedicated Public Charge staff attorney, growing capacity on our ILS team, and our ability to advise more clients on this important issue.   

This new staffer will focus on providing consultations related to this public benefits enrollment, supporting Latino families with young children to ensure they can access the public benefits for which they are entitled while also keep themselves and their families safe.