Community-based organizations (CBOs) are crucial institutions within immigrant communities, providing a variety of supports that ease the transition into a new land, including concrete services focused on health, education, housing, financial security, and language access; facilitation of social support and community connections; and mobilization and advocacy to promote civic engagement and community well-being.1, 2 CBOs, including those serving low-income immigrant communities, also provide outreach, navigation, and facilitated enrollment into benefit programs, assisting community members in accessing vital programs and services to which they are entitled.3 Benefit programs often come with complex regulations and requirements, including the provision of documentation, which exacts a toll on applicants and may delay or restrict access, even to those who are eligible.3–5 For low-income immigrants, these challenges are commonly exacerbated by limited English language skills, lack of familiarity with benefit programs,6 and fear of legal consequences related to their immigration status.
The study described here was conducted between 2021 and 2023, and focuses on administration of, and facilitated access to, benefit programs provided by Make the Road New York (MRNY), a community-based organization that builds the power of Latine and other immigrant and working-class communities across NYC and surrounding counties through an array of health, education, legal, and survival services, as well as community organizing and advocacy at the local, state, and federal levels.