Immigrant and unhoused parents ask council for work permits and support for employment co-ops

Several speakers used the public-comment period to ask the council to help immigrant and unhoused parents obtain stable employment.

A speaker introduced by the dais as Maria G. said she arrived a month ago, does not yet have documentation and asked the council for help getting a work permit so she can provide for her children. “I do not want any type of other help, other than a work permit so I can provide for my children,” the speaker said.

Joy, who identified herself as representing Family United in Necessity and Dignity, described arriving recently, losing housing after a rental scam and struggling with childcare and transportation. She asked the council to support employment programs and services that make it possible for parents without housing to secure work and childcare.

Another community representative described discussions about creating an employment cooperative for parents regardless of work-authorization status, emphasizing flexible hours and childcare-friendly schedules. The organizer said the coop would provide stable employment pathways while the group reaches out to organizations that have started similar projects.

Speakers asked the council to support these proposals, but there was no formal council response or vote during the public-comment period. Several speakers asked staff and council members to follow up on requests for meetings and written guidance on how the city could help facilitate co-ops and legal pathways for work authorization.