Calls from migrant individuals continue to roll in on the National 800 Number for Migrant Families. From its inception in April of 1996, to the end of February 1998, more than 11,000 calls have been routed to 64 different contact sites, including the ESCORT office, headquarters for the project, based at the State University of New York at Oneonta.
While education related calls have increased, questions concerning legal issues (i.e. immigration, documentation) and seeking housing made up close to forty percent of all calls received in the past six months. Other calls involved requests for assistance enrolling children in school, adults seeking ESL classes, locating health services, obtaining vehicle repairs, and finding food and clothing.
Interagency coordination continues to be a major factor in the success of the MEP hotline. JTPA/402 Programs, Community Action Agencies, Migrant Health Clinics, and Migrant Legal Agencies, have for example, accepted referrals and assisted many hotline callers. Dissemination of 800 number brochures, keyrings, posters, cups, rulers, and directories around the country by MEP and other migrant related service providers have helped promote awareness and use of the 800 number by migrant families.
To order promotional materials contact us at: 1-800-451-8058.
On The Line
A Greeley, Colorado farmworker who called in search of work was referred to the Weld County Division of Human Services. The caller later reported that he received the sought after help, as well as much needed food.
A pregnant, migrant mother and her daughter moved from Vermont to Rensselaer County, New York. The mother called in search of prenatal care. A recruiter was contacted to visit the mother. As a result, the mother received a voucher for prenatal services at a local clinic and her daughter was enrolled in school.
The Indiana hotline contact site received several calls from migrant students from Texas inquiring about the availability of TAAS testing in Indiana. Arrangements were made for these students to take the test.
Interagency coordination was a contributing factor in the successful outcome of a call from Mason City, Iowa. The caller was a migrant father who had not been able to secure work or find affordable housing in the Glencoe, Minnesota area. He had driven to Mason City in search of both. A JTPA program in Dodge City, Iowa was contacted. The program accepted the father for a job training program and helped the family find affordable housing and food.
Interagency coordination again played a key role in getting a migrant family from Weslaco, Texas back on the road to Indiana after their car had broken down in George West, Texas. Motivation, Education, and Training (MET) in Corpus Christi was contacted. A MET staff person went out to visit the family, fill out paperwork, and eventually provided $150 towards the car repairs. The Beeville Police Chief, who is also the president of the local Salvation Army, donated $50. The remaining cost of repairs was covered by the ESCORT hotline emergency fund.
A migrant farmworker from El Paso, Texas called in search of an ESL class. An outreach worker was contacted and helped the farmworker enroll in the class.
ESCORT Staff Member Establishes Foundation
ESCORT hotline staff member, Phil Kellerman has established the Harvest of Hope Foundation. The goal of the foundation is to raise monies to support the 800 number emergency fund and migrant service programs around the country.
The emergency fund of the foundation has raised $11,000 and distributed more than $9,000 for emergency vehicle repairs, food, clothing, medicine and shelter.
For information on the Harvest of Hope Foundation and its emergency fund contact Phil Kellerman at 888-922-4673 (HOPE) or at ESCORT 800-451-8058.
FUNDS AWARDED FOR MIGRANT HEALTH CARE
The National Center For Farmworker Health (Call For Health) recently was awarded two significant grants to the Friends of Farmworkers Families Fund. The purpose of the fund is to help farmworker families obtain primary care services they could not otherwise afford. The two latest gifts are restricted to two categories of use at the request of the donors. One category of funds is for women and children from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. The second funds category is for farmworkers in need of early treatment for breast cancer. Applicants for the breast cancer fund may live anywhere in the U.S.
Call for Health will first try to help all applicants find affordable services through its referral system. If affordable services cannot be found, the application will be reviewed for funding through the Friends of Farmworkers Families Fund.
To apply for funds, or to receive more information about the Friends of Farmworker Families Fund contact Call for Health at: 800-377-9968.
Directory Assistance
ESCORT has an array of directories of migrant education programs and other migrant - related service providers. Contact us for information on how to obtain appropriate directories for your program's needs.
Recruitment and The 800 Number: A Good Connection
The Indiana 800 number contact site reports the majority of their 800 number calls as coming from families who had received promotional materials when they left Indiana in 1996 and were calling in 1997 to report they had returned. So successful was the state's 800 number promotional effort, that some calls came from Newton County, a previously unrecruited area bordering Illinois. As reported by the contact site, due to these calls 79 additional migrant children were identified.
VALUABLE 800 NUMBERS
800-234-8848 Migrant Education Hotline
800-377-9968 Call For Health
800-949-1916 Florida Migrant Interstate Project
800-292-7006 Texas Migrant Interstate Program
800-504-7081 The National Hispanic Prenatal Hotline.
800-968-4046 Southern Michigan Farmworker Legal Services.
800-968-1478 Northern Michigan Farmworker Legal Services.
800-483-1010 National Homeless Hotline