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Immigration
Defense Fund

Help Los Angeles families access basic needs and legal support.

An Urgent Need in Our Community

In recent weeks, immigrant families across Los Angeles — including many of the clients we serve at Haven Neighborhood Services — have faced escalating legal threats.

ICE enforcement actions, mounting court backlogs, and increasing legal costs are putting families at risk of separation, detention, and devastating financial consequences.

Our clients — many of whom we’ve supported for years through housing counseling, credit building, and free tax preparation — are now calling us for urgent legal help. They trust Haven to be a safe, judgment-free space. They know we show up.

Now, it’s time to do more.

The Haven Immigration Legal Fund

We are launching the Haven Immigration Legal Fund to provide direct financial assistance to immigrant families for:

  • Legal fees for immigration attorneys
  • Filing fees and court costs
  • Emergency legal support in cases of detention or deportation
  • Ongoing wraparound services — housing counseling, financial coaching, tax preparation — to stabilize families during legal proceedings

Our goal is simple: to ensure that no one in our community faces these legal battles alone.

Why This Matters to Haven’s Mission

Haven was founded on the idea that real financial empowerment starts with stability, dignity, and access to justice.
We know from experience:

  • Legal instability can derail housing, employment, and financial progress.
  • A single immigration case can undo years of careful credit building, savings, and stability.
  • Representation matters — immigrants with legal counsel are 5x more likely to succeed in their cases.

This fund is an extension of everything we stand for: building a truly safe financial haven for those we serve.

How You Can Help

This is an urgent, community-driven fund. Every dollar raised will go directly toward helping immigrant families cover legal costs and stay on stable ground.
We invite our partners, donors, and supporters to contribute — and to share this effort widely.
Together, we can make sure that justice is not only for those who can afford it.

Donate Now

Campaign News & Updates

July 2025 Update

Thanks to the generosity of our community and the matching support from A. Paul Kurkjian, A Medical Corp, we’ve raised over $2,400 to date. From the moment this fund was launched, our internal programs team mobilized quickly to build an accessible, compliant, and secure distribution system with one goal in mind: protecting the safety and dignity of our clients. We began by offering access to all past clients of Haven. While many were eligible, uptake has been slower than anticipated. In today’s social climate, where fear and uncertainty are pervasive, especially in immigrant communities, trust is fragile. The recent wave of devastating events has only deepened that fear. In response, we are taking thoughtful, multi-pronged steps to rebuild trust and ensure our support systems feel safe and accessible. One critical adaptation has been expanding how the fund is used. Though originally designed for legal defense and emergency needs, we’ve heard directly from community members who are forgoing basic necessities—food, hygiene supplies, medicine—out of fear of leaving their homes. Because of this, we’ve broadened the “emergent needs” category to offer unrestricted cash aid—no strings attached. We believe people know best what they need. And while we usually share details about our operations with transparency, we are keeping our implementation strategy confidential at this time, out of an abundance of caution, to protect the privacy and safety of recipients. This program came together quickly—born from crisis. And yet, it reflects the heart of what community means. Our community’s support made it possible. Their willingness to stand up and act in a moment of need sends a powerful message: that our region is strongest when we look out for one another.