Our Story
The 805 UndocuFund first launched in January 2018 in response to the Thomas Fire and Montecito Mudslides. These events impacted thousands of people who lost their homes, jobs, and experienced acute and chronic injuries. Disaster aid from the state and federal governments was a critical part of the recovery process, and yet undocumented residents — who are estimated at 10% of the population in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties — were ineligible for millions of dollars in support that were made available to everyone else.
This is how 805 UndocuFund began: as a massive joint effort among immigrant-serving Central Coast organizations, Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP), Central Coastal Alliance United for A Sustainable Economy (CAUSE) and Future Leaders of America. Together, these organizations, alongside philanthropy partners like the McCune Foundation and the Ventura County Community Foundation, raised, case-managed, and distributed millions of dollars in direct aid to victims of the Thomas, Hill, and Woolsey wildfires; Montecito mudslides; numerous smaller wildfires that afflict the region each year; and now, the prolonged impact of COVID-19.
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With the occurrence of disasters year after year, 805 Undocufund has successfully developed a proven, grassroots-led, culturally and linguistically competent disaster relief model serving undocumented communities, distributing more than $8.5 million to 6,500 households (more than 17,000 individuals) affected by disasters in the Central Coast region since it’s initial launch. The 805 UndocuFund is proud to be a model looked to by other startup UndocuFunds not only in California, but across the United States. In December 2021, 805 UndocuFund became a community based 501(c)3 governed by a volunteer board of directors made up of leaders from MICOP, CAUSE and Future Leaders of America, who provide organizational and volunteer support. The McCune Foundation provides key leadership support, and the Ventura County Community Foundation (VCCF) provides fundraising and fund administrative support. The organization is proud to mobilize resources, bring passionate community partners together, and advocate for the recovery of undocumented communities in disaster.
Our Mission &
Our Vision
We envision a future where undocumented individuals and families thrive in a region without systemic inequalities, have equitable access to resources to rebuild their lives with dignity after disaster, and their voices and lived experiences are centered in decision making.
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We mobilize resources when disaster hits, providing short-term financial relief to undocumented residents, and engage the undocumented immigrant community to advocate for long-term systems change.
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Our Values
We believe that disaster relief must be impartial and ensure fair treatment, opportunity, and access to resources for all to be successful—including undocumented individuals and families.
We believe that undocumented immigrant residents strengthen the Central Coast’s resilience to disaster and that our voices and experience must be included.
We believe that all human beings are born equal in dignity. When disaster hits, every person is worthwhile, unique, and deserving, regardless of immigration status, class, language, national origin, race, age, sexual orientation, gender, religion, or abilities.
We believe that ensuring financial disaster relief for all is fundamental to saving lives, minimizing suffering, and protecting the livelihoods of undocumented immigrants in disaster.
Equity
Inclusion
Dignity
Action
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We believe that surviving and rebuilding after disaster relies on compassionate communities that come together to support each other.
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We believe in taking the time to listen, and deeply understand the loss, needs, and barriers faced by undocumented immigrants and other vulnerable communities to create sustainable and impactful disaster relief.
We believe that fairness in disaster response and recovery requires protecting all human lives, providing equitable access to resources, and ensuring equal participation of diverse communities in disaster management.
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We believe in solidarity, empathy, and action to help communities reach and sustain a complete state of physical, mental, and social well-being when experiencing the trauma of disaster.
Solidarity
Empathy
Justice
Healing
Why We Do What We Do
According to the Fund for Santa Barbara and the University of Southern California (USC) “Central Coast Regional Equity Study” nearly 90,000 undocumented immigrants live in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. When wildfires and other disaster occur, undocumented workers in key regional economic sectors such as agriculture, services, hospitality, child and elder care are not eligible for federal disaster relief nor for state and federal social safety nets due to their immigration status. When COVID 19 hit in 2020, they were also not eligible to receive cash assistance from the stimulus bills passed by the federal government.
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805UndocuFund clients lived two simultaneous experiences: one which excluded them from the wider federal disaster response and recovery effort, and another one that not only provided financial relief but also showed the commitment of grassroots volunteers, community partners, philanthropy, and more than 1,000 individual donors to include them in disaster recovery.
We do what we do because we’ve learned on the ground what more and more academic studies and policy makers across the countries acknowledge: immigrants are highly vulnerable to disasters. This is due to:
Socio-economic factors:
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Low-wage jobs
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Language accessibility barriers
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Immigration legal status
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Housing and economic insecurity
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High density housing
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Lack of equitable access to these state and federal social safety net services that help communities bounce back after disaster:
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Unemployment benefits when faced with loss of work due to disruption.
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Health Access for 26- 50 bracket
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Access to federal financial disaster relief and social safety net.
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Long-term state disaster cycle policy frameworks that ensure equitable access to resources to recovery from disaster.
