On April 13, 2020, the Rian Immigrant Center, Agencia ALPHA, and the Brazilian Worker Center came together with other 12 partner organizations to form the Massachusetts Immigrant Collaborative (formerly the Boston Immigrant COVID-19 Collaborative (BICC)). The City of Boston and its surrounding communities rely heavily on the support of immigrants who contribute to its workforce. Unfortunately, many of these immigrants have been adversely affected by job losses and limited access to benefits and healthcare. The focus of partner organizations immediately shifted to meet the needs of its diverse communities. The collaboration aims to address immigrant families’ most urgent needs by providing direct financial relief and other resources. Joining forces has allowed the Collaborative to serve more than 150,000 immigrants in the last 3 years
Our Partners
- Agencia ALPHA
- Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center(BCNC)
- Boston International Newcomers Academy (Boston Center for Collaborative Education)
- Brazilian Worker Center
- Caribbean Youth Club
- Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores (New Bedford)
- Centro Presente
- Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI)
- ICNA Relief
- Immigrant Family Services Institute (IFSI)
- MetroWest Workers Center: CASA (Framingham)
- New North Citizen Council
- Pioneer Valley Workers Center
- Rian Immigrant Center
- Sociedad Latina
Collaborative Programs Priorities
Emergency Cash and Food Assistance
We assist immigrant families by gathering funds to provide them with essential necessities, including food, childcare, rent, and utilities. Our collaboration with 15 organizations ensures that resources are allocated fairly and transparently to immigrant communities throughout the state.
Shared Capacity Building
Our organization highly values the continuous enhancement of our capabilities. Our partner organizations join us in sharing their wealth of knowledge, skills, and decades of experience through bi-weekly professional development workshops and community updates. This partnership has a positive impact on our growth and capacity to better serve our community.
Immigration Legal Education and Services
We offer culturally sensitive legal services to members of our partners’ community, with a focus on combatting notary fraud and providing information on immigration procedures and individual rights. Our goal is to increase awareness and empower individuals with the knowledge they need to protect themselves and their families.
Workforce Development and Workers’ Rights
We understand the importance of gaining essential career skills, job-specific training, and digital literacy programs, as well as ESOL classes. That’s why we strive to connect individuals with workshops that offer these resources. We also believe that everyone should be aware of their rights as a worker, and we’re here to provide informative workshops to ensure that our community is well-informed and protected in their workplace.
Advocacy
We strive to promote immigrant rights and engage in community outreach by addressing crucial matters such as access to driver’s licenses, food, and tuition equity for immigrant students.