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Expansion supported by Partnership with American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
Providence, Rhode Island (December 1, 2023) – Millions of families seeking to improve their immigration status face a barrier to economic mobility: the need to come up with as much as $20,000 to pay for necessary legal and filing costs. Capital Good Fund has expanded their national immigration lending program to Pennsylvania, with the support of American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). AILA members, immigration firms, and nonprofits operating in the Commonwealth have the benefit of offering an affordable financing option to their clients who otherwise would be unable to pay for these services. Pennsylvania is the eleventh state served by the organization.
Attorney Alex Brophy of Newtown Square, PA and his partner Kate Lenahan are immigration lawyers with a focus on serving LGBT immigrants. He sees Capital Good Fund’s immigration loan program as a real game changer for people who have trouble with their credit. “Many of our clients have a difficult time paying for an immigration attorney,” Brophy says. “I think this will give immigration services to people who may not have been able to afford it before.” The loans will also alleviate billing pressure, so Brophy and Lenahan can concentrate on client work. They have been a member of AILA for a decade and value how the organization is working in partnership with Capital Good Fund on this effort.
The program is also available in New Jersey, Florida, Texas, Colorado, Illinois, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Georgia, and Delaware with plans to expand to additional states. Capital Good Fund is a nonprofit CDFI lender that provides equitable financial services to lower-income families for a variety of key needs, on top of immigration expenses, such as making energy upgrades to their homes (e.g., solar panels and high-efficiency appliances); making security deposits, and more.
“Immigrants shouldn’t have to choose between putting food on the table and pursuing their American Dream,” says Andy Posner, Capital Good Fund founder and CEO. “So many families are eligible to improve their immigration status by applying for citizenship, a green card, or asylum; petitioning family members; fighting a deportation order, and more. Winning these cases is transformational, but after filing fees and high-quality legal representation, the cost can be insurmountable. We are grateful for AILA’s partnership as we expand our immigration loans to new markets by working with local nonprofits, AILA member attorneys, and their clients.”
Capital Good Fund’s first loan in April of 2009 was for $875 to cover citizenship costs for a low-income Providence resident. Since then, they have financed almost 900 loans worth more than $4.9 million for a variety of immigration cases and expenses.
AILA President Farshad Owji noted, “Immigration proceedings are often extremely complex, and having an AILA member attorney by your side can make all the difference. Many individuals who need the assistance of qualified counsel may have a hard time accessing financial resources. Capital Good Fund has been working with AILA chapters since 2016, when the organization expanded its services to Florida. The current expansion to Pennsylvania will mean that more residents of Pennsylvania can access vitally important legal representation.”
Capital Good Fund granted Ana Marcia of Providence, RI a loan so she could pay the $5,000 cost—attorney expenses and USCIS filing fees—of a work permit, which had the immediate benefit of allowing her to get a driver’s license and helped her build her credit. “No other bank gave me the same opportunity Capital Good Fund did,” she remembers. “I felt disillusioned. I didn’t see a way to get the work permit. Getting the permit made me feel that ¡sí se puede! – it can be done!” The impact of the loan went beyond her getting a work permit: in turn, she was able to not only launch her own cleaning business but to buy a home for her family of four, the last made possible by the fact that she established and then built her credit score.
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About Capital Good Fund
Capital Good Fund is a Rhode Island-based nonprofit social change organization that uses financial services to tackle poverty and environmental injustice in America. Capital Good Fund offers financing, low-interest loans, and one-on-one financial coaching for the lower-income residents of Rhode Island, Texas, Illinois, Florida, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. Since their founding in 2009, they have financed 13,000 loans totaling over $37 million with a 96% repayment rate and graduated over 2,000 people from their Coaching program. More at www.GoodFund.us.
American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
Founded in 1946, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, voluntary bar association that provides continuing legal education, professional services, information, and expertise to more than 16,000 attorneys who practice and teach immigration law. More at https://www.aila.org/.
