Credit Building
To help establish and build credit, people can apply for a secured credit card.
NOTE: The link is just an example, meaning we’re not suggesting you use CitiBank, as most/all credit companies will issue secured credit cards.
Car Buying
Contacts
Richie Axelsen/ President Owner, Auto Buying Assistant (ABA)
Mobile: (207) 838-6082
Office: (207) 447-9961
Email: info@autobuyingassistant.com
Richie is very experienced, user friendly, and has great contacts with dealers and bank loan agents.
Lou Couture/ Sales & Leasing Consultant, Rowe Ford
Office: (866) 753-7011
Email: info@autobuyingassistant.com
We found him to be transparent, ethical and fair.
cPort Credit Union
cPort CU has lowered restrictions on Auto loans. New borrowers are no longer asked to provide 20% down payment as it was the default for people with no credit history or less than 2 years of credit history. We can now lend up to 100% Loan-To-Value (barring any major red flags, no credit is still better than bad credit).
ProsperityME has a series of great workshops for mentees (& anyone else) about how to budget, establish credit & make contractual decisions. Strongly encourage the mentee to take advantage of these workshops.
Key Points
The mentor should never co-sign a loan for a mentee.
The mentor and mentee should discuss the following issues with the assumption that, in most circumstances, the goal is reliable transportation, not owning a car.
Determine how many times a week the mentee needs the speed, convenience and flexibility that private transportation (i.e., car, taxi, Uber) provides vs. regular bus service.
Estimate how much it would cost per week/month to liberally use a combination of public and third-party private transportation.
Confirm the mentee has a valid drivers license.
Financial Questions
How solid are the mentee’s work hours? Do they fluctuate?
What are the mentee’s regular expenditures:
Take-home pay
Rent
Food
Child care
Phone/internet/cable
Utilities
Miscellaneous
Has money been put aside for:
Emergencies
Immigration lawyer
Asylum legal fees
Car Expenses
Driving lessons (if necessary)
Purchase price/monthly payment
Yearly excise tax/car registration
Insurance
Fuel and maintenance costs
Resource Guides (Multilingual)
Portland of Opportunity’s excellent guide for resources and information in multiple languages (Arabic, French, Portuguese, Somali and Spanish).
Maine Association for New Americans (MANA) has their COVID-19 Prevention & Self-Care Flyer Project
Office of Maine Refuge Services has a series of Testing/Isolation Procedure Video Education Materials as seen in this document
Canada/US Border Issues
The Canadian UN Refugee Agency continues to update their factsheets for asylum seekers on a regular basis – English & French
Regarding the new temporary U.S.-Canada border agreement, while the Canadian government has given assurances that asylum seekers turned back to the U.S. will not be refouled by the U.S. authorities while they wait to be called back to the Canadian border, the terms of the agreement have not yet been finalized.
Download September, 2020 Press Release (English, French, Lingala and Portuguese)
Resume Writing
Resume help – call Amelia Lyons at 207-615-4876 (volunteer career counselor).
Work Authorization
*** It is illegal to work in the US without work authorization, and doing so can be devastating to an asylum case. ***
Applying for your first work authorization
Process
Submit your asylum application (guidance here)
Wait five months (150 days)
Submit work permit application. Complete one application for each person applying.
Work permit should arrive in 4-6 weeks, social security cards will follow
Most asylum seekers choose to apply for work permits for their children, in order to get them social security cards.
As you approach 150 days, things to do to prepare
Make sure each applicant has a government-issued photo ID (can be expired, can be from foreign government, a photo or copy of the ID is usable if you don’t have the original). If you don’t have one, contact WTS for advice.
Get two passport photos for each applicant
Contact Hope Acts to make an appointment if you would like assistance with the work permit application, which can be found here.
The first work permit application is free
Renewing a work authorization
Work permits are good for two years. Adults should begin planning to renew their work permit 6 months before it expires. The cost for renewal is $410 for each applicant.
There is a Foreign Credentialing Grant Program can be applied to for the application fee or cost of document translation.
Children do not need to renew their work permits until they are old enough to work.
The application is here. You can get an appointment at Hope Acts to assist with the application or review an already-completed application.
Employment-Related Legal
Southern Maine Workers’ Center (SMWC) Hotline
207-358-9211
The hotline often forwards legal questions to appropriate law firms that represent employees, depending on the issues raised. Also, the SMWC is working to establish a once a week, free employment law clinic at their offices on Washington Ave. in Portland. Once it is underway, the plan is for the clinic to be staffed by 2 attorneys, rotating between a number of volunteers, including lawyers from my firm. They expect that this will start in March 2018, but the planning is ongoing and the date is not set.
SMWC’s Know Your Rights manual
Available in English and Spanish.
Legal Clinic For Low-Income Workers
Low-income and homeless Mainers now have access to free legal services thanks to a new weekly clinic brought to Portland by the Southern Maine Workers’ Center and the Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project.
Working with School Social Workers
The recommendation is that mentors contact the school social worker of whichever schools their families have kids attending, with the following things in mind:
How to contact them:
Call main number for school and ask to speak to the social worker OR ask for social worker’s email address.
School social workers tend to be very overloaded with many many many things to do. In a perfect world, they would be able to give each student the care and attention they need. Realistically, they are working hard always and have a hard time keeping up with the needs of the schools. If you don’t hear back from them, don’t be scared to reach out again.
Ways to make sure schools know they have permission to talk to you about students (one of these should be fine, some schools may want both):
Have mentee add your name to emergency contact list (mentee can do this by calling main office at school, or going in to main office at school)
Have mentee fill out school district release of information form with your information. To get this done, mentee can either go in to school main office and ask to fill one out then and there, can ask that the form get sent home with their child and they fill it out and send it back in with the child (make sure kid REMEMBERS to give it to teacher!), or you could try emailing school social worker or teacher to ask them to email you a scanned copy/print it out/have mentee fill it out/scan it back to school.
Call school while mentee is with you so they can give permission over the phone that school talk with you. This will likely work with some schools, and not cut it with others. Worth a try!
What to say to school social worker:
State that the point of your phone call (or email) it to simply let them know that you are associated with the family, and should be considered a point of contact if the school is having a hard time engaging with family. Best practice is that school also is trying to reach out to family directly as well.
School could contact you if they are trying to arrange any outside supports/services/programming for student. Make sure they know that you can be helpful with helping family to fill out certain forms, coordinate planning for summer camps/etc, anything else that may come up.
Let school know of any concerns that you hear from parents/students.
Anything else that comes to mind!
Pre-K & Daycare (Childcare)
Search for Childcare throughout Maine
South Portland Public Schools
Offers Pre-K programs.
Westbrook Public Schools
Offers Pre-K programs.
Youth and Family Outreach
331 Cumberland Ave. Portland, ME 04103
207-874-1073
YFO operates an early care and education facility. YFO also has a public pre-k classroom in collaboration with Portland Public Schools. Our staff speak six different languages including Spanish, French, Arabic, Lingala, Denka and Zandi. YFO strives to support the whole family through our resourceful staff and social work intern.
YMCA – Early Learning Readiness
207-874-1111
Free programming for 0-5 year olds + caregivers
Portland Schools Multi-Lingual Office
150 Ocean Avenue
207-874-8135
The Multilingual Summer Program is a 4-week summer school for English Language Learners in Middle and High School. They meet for 4 hours a day, 4 days a week.
The Opportunity Alliance Child and Family Services
Contact: Linda Goyert at 207-553-5816
Early Head Start, Head Start, Westbrook Public PreK, and Childcare serving children age 0-5
ARWO Learning Center
1037 Forest Avenue, Suite 6, Portland
207-536-0244
A multilingual daycare and preschool
YMCA – Early Learning Readiness
207-874-1111
Free programming for 0-5 year olds + caregivers
camelia.haleyyfo@gmail.com
An early care and education serving families with children between the ages of 6 weeks and 5 years of age. Also has a public pre-k classroom in collaboration with Portland Public Schools. Staff speaks six different languages including Spanish, French, Arabic, Lingala, Denka and Zandi. YFO strives to support the whole family through our resourceful staff and social work intern.
Miscellaneous
Migrant Education in Maine
If your mentee is working in agriculture/seafood or fish processing, their children might qualify for free supplemental educational services. This could include at-home tutoring, homework help, liaising with the schools, etc.
Financial Assistance
FAME Foreign Credentialing grant program - Up to $1,000 to help pay for costs associated with the process of becoming work-ready while awaiting issuance of a work permit. Examples of eligible costs include translation and evaluation of education documents, and fees related to obtaining a Maine driver's license (see our website for an expanded list of eligible expenses).
Scholarships for Maine Immigrants – SMI (Formerly “Portland ESL Scholarship Fund” )
The mission of Scholarships for Maine Immigrants (SMI), formerly Portland ESL Scholarship Fund, is to help local immigrants and refugees gain the English language and career skills necessary to achieve their educational and professional goals. Since 2000, SMI has awarded over 400 scholarships and $200,000 to fulfill this mission.
Prosperity Maine – Scholarship for asylum seekers
Financial Authority of Maine (FAME) – Search for Maine scholarships.
Scholarships of Immigrants and Refugees – A bunch of random ones.
Parents As Scholars – If they receive TANF there is a program through FEDCAP.
USM Promise Scholarship – For anyone, regardless of circumstance.
Maine Community Foundation – List of available scholarships.
Going Merry – Find Scholarships and Financial Aid. Lets you set up a profile and automatically filters potential matches.
FAME Scholarship searchable database – Invest in ME. Thorough filters so you don’t have to spend hours looking.
Maine Youth Action Network – Equity and Justice Scholarship (up to $2000 one time scholarship from MYAN for any higher education ventures).
Maine Youth Action Network – Micro Grants (up to $500 per “project”).