Specialized Resources for Advocates and Service Providers

This page includes additional resources created by the PIF campaign and our allies.  These resources have been reviewed and vetted by PIF staff. As you develop your own materials to meet your community’s needs, we encourage you to take inspiration from these great examples.

Screening Tool

Created by our partners with PIF California, we encourage you to share this helpful screening tool with immigrant communities. This tool was developed by benefits experts and immigration lawyers to help communities understand if there is a public charge test for their immigration plans or status.

• Go to keepyourbenefitsCA.org (English)
• Go to TusBeneficiosPublicos.org (Spanish).
• You can also access by text at 650-376-8006.
  • Text ‘benefits’ for English
  • Text ‘libre’ for Spanish
  • Text ‘福利’ for Chinese
  • Text ‘lợiích’ for Vietnamese

Resources by Issue Area

• Tax Credits
  • Tax Credits are Not Considered In Public Charge Determinations -PIF
• Early Childhood Programs
  • Final Public Charge Rule and Young Children Q and A – CLASP
• Medicaid, ACA, and other Health Services
  • Get Health Care Without Fear – NYC Health + Hospitals (with 13 available translations)
  • Public Charge and Health Coverage Programs – Center for Budget and Policy Priorities
  • Public Charge Rule: Considerations for HIV and Hepatitis Programs – NASTAD
• Housing Programs
  • Public Charge and Housing Technical Fact Sheet – National Housing Law Project
  • Public Charge and Housing Talking Points – National Housing Law Project
  • Public Charge and Housing Basic FAQs – National Housing Law Project
• Legal Services
  • Anti-Fraud Flyers – Immigrant Legal Resource Center
  • Public Charge Webinar for Immigration Attorneys (Slides) – Public Charge: DHS, DOS, FAM and Related Issues. Presented by the PIF Campaign in collaboration with AILA, MLRI, and ILRC
  • Public Charge Legal Services Toolkit (ILRC)
• SNAP and Nutrition Programs
  • Public Charge Rule: FAQs for Anti-Hunger and Nutrition Stakeholders – Food Research & Action Center
  • Free and Reduced-Price School Meals – Food Research & Action Center
  • SNAP and Public Charge Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, Worcester County Food Bank, Merrimack Valley Food Bank, Inc., The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, The Greater Boston Food Bank.
• Workforce and Education
  • Public Charge Fact Sheet – The National Skills Coalition

Immigration Status-Specific Resources

• 5 Facts on Public Charge – Immigrant Legal Resource Center. Information for green card holders, undocumented immigrants and people applying to sponsor a family member. 

Resources for Working with State/Local Agencies

• PIF State Benefits Agency Toolkit – Immediate action steps that state benefits agencies can implement to assist constituents in understanding the implications of public charge in their applications for benefits, and to assist benefits agency staff in navigating new requests and forms from consumers. Includes samples from a variety of states and templates to be adapted. Includes COVID-19-related resources as well.
• PIF State AG Toolkit –  This toolkit recommends actions for attorneys general offices (AGOs) seeking to minimize harms caused by the DHS and DOS public charge regulations and provides examples, templates, and tools. Materials in this toolkit can be modified to fit individual state offices’ needs.
• Navigating Public Charge Best Practices in Community Based Organizations to Mitigate Harm for the Immigrant Community (See also, Executive Summary).
• The Public Charge Dictionary – Need help understanding immigrant eligibility for public benefits programs? Getting a little lost in the terminology? This dictionary includes the most commonly used terms that you need to know to be a more empowered advocate to help immigrants.
• PIF State Policy Toolkit – recommends action for state and local government officials seeking to minimize harms of the public charge rule.  Materials in this toolkit can be modified to fit your needs. 
• Sample state agency publications on public charge
  • Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance Notice on Public Charge
  • Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Stakeholder Letter 
  • Minnesota Department of Human Services
  • Washington State Department of Social Health Services FAQs and Flyer
  • State of Oregon FAQs
  • New York State of Health FAQ to Assistors
  • Minnesota Agencies FAQ on Understanding the Federal “Public Charge Rule”
  • California Department of Education Guidance on Public Charge
  • New Mexico Human Services Department

Communications Resources

• Newsclips as Advocacy Resource – Sharing news coverage of public charge can educate people about the threat, demonstrate the breadth and energy of the opposition, and inspire action.
• VIDEO: Five things immigrants need to know about public charge (Spanish) – NC Justice Center

Additional Public Charge Resource Pages

• PIF California
• PIF Michigan
• PIF Oregon
• PIF Washington
• The Wisconsin Collaboration on Immigrants and Public Benefits
• Center for Public Representation
• Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.
• Immigrant Legal Resource Center
• National Housing Law Project
• New York Immigration Coalition
• OneNation AAPI
• The Children’s Partnership