Transcript:

Good morning to all of you. I feel very fortunate to be able to meet you all this morning. I am Katie Figueroa, I am Honduran and residing in Chelsea.

This morning I want to share my story with you all, the story of many in my community. I am diligently following all the necessary guidelines to obtain a U visa due to a very sensitive crime that I was impacted by. This crime affected my family and traumatized my family tremendously which I don't feel comfortable sharing in detail. However, I face an immense challenge. I do not have access to essential services like food stamps due to my immigration status which is in the process of a U visa. What complicates my situation even more is a medical diagnosis I just received. I have a cerebral aneurysm that has left me unable to work.

This forces me to rely solely on my husband to support my family. We have 3 beautiful children, 15, 11, and 5 that we have to feed and house, and the struggle to make ends meet has become a nightmare. I'm constantly torn between decisions of having to choose between buying food for my family or meeting the other basic needs in my households. I have no choice but to stand in very long lines at the food pantry The Collaborative runs every Wednesday that is able to provide much needed assistance to those of us who are in desperate need of food. But I know there is hope in the horizon through this legislation, H 135 S 76. If this legislation were to be approved it would provide legally present immigrants such as myself access to EBT which would mean a huge significant relief for my family but also for many other families that are in the same situation.

This would alleviate the challenges and the struggles of many families, not just mine. Along with other voices in my community, I earned the approval of this law as an act of compassion and support for those who are striving for a better future in the United States. While we're facing overwhelming economic challenges, the decision to pass this legislation has the power to transform lives and provide hope for those of us like me who are committed to following the procedure of immigration for the immigration status while struggling to survive in this country, in a country that we now call home. Please support legislation H 135, S 76 so that we can build a brighter future for our families and our community. Thank you. I appreciate profoundly the opportunity to speak with you all. It's my first time sharing my experience because of my condition, everything I have to write down in order to be able to share. And thank you, and God bless you.