National Domestic Workers Alliance, Inc.

If you are enrolled in Public Service Loan Forgiveness, income-driven repayment, or other federal student loan forgiveness plans, you may gain thousands of extra dollars in the coming months. If you can, we’re asking you to keep your monthly budget the same and donate this windfall to the National Domestic Workers’ Alliance (NDWA) Coronavirus Care Fund.

In the past 6 weeks, 30 million Americans have lost their jobs. The coronavirus crisis has particularly devastated domestic workers. According to an NDWA survey, 72% of these in-home workers, nannies, and house cleaners reported having lost all of their work by early April. And a horrifying 84% reported that their households were short on money for food and housing. 

There’s a way we can help. Many of us have heard about the $1,200 stimulus checks being distributed through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The CARES Act also suspends federal student loan payments through September 30. These six $0 monthly payments also count toward any student loan forgiveness program. For those of us enrolled in Public Service Loan Forgiveness, income-driven repayment, or other loan forgiveness plans, and who are otherwise financially comfortable, this provision could generate a financial windfall of thousands of dollars over six months.

We are asking those on track for federal loan forgiveness who have the capacity to donate this windfall to the domestic workers who need it. If you can’t do it for 6 months, do it for 3 months. If you can’t do it for 3 months, do it for one month. And if you can’t do it at all, please contribute by sharing the link.

All money received through this fund will go to the NDWA Coronavirus Care Fund.  The NDWA provides $400 in emergency assistance per person, helping them to pay for rent, groceries, and necessities despite lost work.

Those of us who are receiving public service loan forgiveness joined our professions to serve the public. Let’s serve the public now.
 

Q&A:
 
Q: I want to give, but I don’t know if I qualify for federal loan forgiveness. What types of borrowers will receive this windfall?

Per the federal student aid website, suspended payments for borrowers on Income Driven Repayment (IDR) plans will count towards loan forgiveness.  Additionally, borrowers with a Direct Loan, who “were on a qualifying repayment plan prior to the suspension, and work full-time for a qualifying employer during the suspension, will have these suspended payments count toward loan forgiveness.”

 Consumer Finance  also provides a great overview of how the provision will work.

Q: What about Public Service Loan Forgiveness? Will suspended payments count toward my 120 on-time payments for this program?

Yes! See above; as long as you were working full-time for a qualifying employer during this period, your $0 payments will count.
 
Q: Where can I go to check the status of my loans?  

You can check the status of your loans here: https://myfedloan.org/borrowers/your-account/. 

Q: Where can I go if I have other questions about the CARES Act and loan forgiveness?

The government has a great FAQ about the CARES Act and student loan forgiveness here: https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/coronavirus. 


More information about National Domestic Workers Alliance Inc: The National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) is the nation's leading voice for dignity and fairness for the millions of domestic workers in the United States, most of whom are women. Founded in 2007, NDWA works for the respect, recognition, and inclusion in labor protections for domestic workers, including over 10,000 nannies, housekeepers, and caregivers for the elderly across the country.

For many in-home care workers, nannies, and house cleaners the threat from Coronavirus is especially severe. Without access to health care, paid sick leave, or job security, they are being forced to navigate this crisis alone — without a safety net. Many undocumented people, especially women, hold these sort of domestic positions. Their immigration status adds an extra layer of vulnerability and another barrier to support during this very scary time. 

The money you donate to the Coronavirus Care Fund through the National Domestic Workers Alliance will provide immediate financial support for domestic workers, and enable them to stay home and healthy — protecting themselves, their families and their communities while slowing the spread of the Coronavirus. Help take care of the people who take care of us.

We are raising money to benefit National Domestic Workers Alliance Inc, and any donation, no matter how small, will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.

More information about National Domestic Workers Alliance Inc: The National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) is the nation's leading voice for dignity and fairness for the millions of domestic workers in the United States, most of whom are women. Founded in 2007, NDWA works for the respect, recognition, and inclusion in labor protections for domestic workers, including over 10,000 nannies, housekeepers, and caregivers for the elderly across the country.

Hi friends!

Thank you for dropping by this week’s GoFundMe page. We really hope you consider donating; I mean, you made it all the way here. You might as well, right?

About a week and a half into quarantine, our producer (Sam Pasternack) reached out to me about a thought that startled him awake at 4am. He wrote it down and went back to sleep. That thought grew into “Sundays on the Couch with George.” This project grew from an unsettling feeling of helplessness we both felt in the pits of our stomachs as the Covid-19 pandemic began affecting people we know and love. We wanted to be proactive and we wanted to make a difference. Gloom and doom has dominated the headlines for weeks and we thought that if we could bring something to the masses that is rooted in love for one another, we could foster the kind of safe space so many people are craving. 

Aside from entertaining, we also wanted to raise money for as many organizations as possible. We decided that every week, our special guest would choose an organization to raise money for. The hope is that by the end of this quarantine period, we as a community will have helped several great causes.  To say thanks, for every $10 you donate, you’ll get a chance to be randomly chosen for #SundayStudyHall, a post-show private Zoom conference with me and the guest of the week.

I hope you’ll consider donating $10 if you are able to. We understand that times are difficult for everyone, so if you’re unable to donate, no worries! Enjoy the show! But if you are able to give $10, please do! Together, we can make a difference.

Stay inside, stay safe, and remind those around you how much you love them.

Love,

George & Sam

The show will be live, every Sunday at 5pm EST/2pm PST at https://www.youtube.com/georgesalazaryt 


More information about National Domestic Workers Alliance Inc: The National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) is the nation's leading voice for dignity and fairness for the millions of domestic workers in the United States, most of whom are women. Founded in 2007, NDWA works for the respect, recognition, and inclusion in labor protections for domestic workers, including over 10,000 nannies, housekeepers, and caregivers for the elderly across the country.




NOTE: If you are under 13, a parent or guardian must donate on your behalf if you are to be accompanied to the meet and greet.

Dear friends, family and community,

For the last 15 years, completing a triathlon has been on my bucket list. 2018 is the year I’m making it happen by participating in the Pasadena Triathlon  on March 10th! While this is a personal goal for me, I’m also running/biking/swimming for a cause dear to my heart: the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) . I have less than three weeks to raise $3000!  

I’m incredibly proud to work at NDWA where every day I get to work with member leaders who show me what bravery, resilience and love looks like, despite the constant attacks against our communities. Member leaders like Adriana, who works days cleaning homes, and then spends her evenings meeting with other house cleaners in her neighborhood to let them know about their rights. On weekends, she’s lobbying Congress in her district for the rights of immigrants and DACA recipients, so that one less mother does not have to deal with the pain of being separated from her children, a loss she knows too well.

I am also part of this movement because of my grandmothers: Candelaria who was pulled out of school at the US/Mexico border to the wash the clothes of others and my great-grandmother, Karin, who worked in San Francisco for decades cleaning homes. I am here today because of them. I work for personal attendants, like Cita, in care of my aunt now who allows her to age with dignity in her own home.

 We are building a world of dignity and equity for women of color, domestic workers, immigrants, and LGBTQ communities. The night of the Golden Globes, our executive director, Ai-Jen Poo, stood alongside Meryl Streep as her guest and spoke of domestic workers and about the #MeToo movement, how women from all sectors must be included.

Women like June Barrett, of Miami Worker Center and member of NDWA's We Dream in Black, who has bravely shared her story as a domestic worker sexual assault survivor: “I am so proud to be a member of NDWA…an organization where all my identities: Black, immigrant, woman and queer, are honored.” In this movement, our whole selves are valued.

 Do you often wonder what you can do during these times? This is a great opportunity to be part of a movement that unites across communities and builds true solidarity so we can create the world we want to live in. Will you join me?

Invest in this work by helping me raise $3000 for NDWA.

Every step counts towards the finish line.
Here’s what your donations can provide:

 $25 = You got this!
Pays for printed materials for nannies to do outreach in a local park.

$50 = 5K run motivator!
Pays for sponsorship of a domestic worker leader to be a member of NDWA for one year.

$100 = 10 mile bike ride, gearing up to hit the pavement!
Pays for food and supplies for domestic worker meetings as leaders strategize about their next campaign

$150 = 150 meters, swimming for a just world
Helps pay for domestic worker members to attend our flagship leadership training program empowering them to organize other workers in their community.

$500 = Homestretch, nothing can stop us. We’re all the way up!
Pays for ongoing organizing efforts for immigrant and domestic worker rights across the board!  

Double the impact with a matching gift! Ask your employers if they could match your donation. If you are interested and would like more info, please contact me directly.  

Thank you for believing in me and our movement!