It Was Meant To Be An App To Help Immigrants Lead A Normal Life In The US. Now It's Helping Them Survive The Coronavirus.


An app called Homeis was originally designed to be a social network for immigrant groups in the U.S., but during the coronavirus pandemic it has turned into a lifeline for many undocumented people whose fears of deportation are compounded by the virus. Community managers on the app (some paid, some volunteer) now field questions from hundreds of thousands of immigrants about getting tested, how much power ICE has in hospital settings, the risk of getting infected in detention, and other coronavirus questions. The app is now a source of advice, support, and community during the COVID-19 crisis.

This is a rapid response story about a coping strategy. Due to the urgent crisis, we are relaxing the ‘evidence of effectiveness’ criterion for solutions coverage on COVID-19 to capture early stage, improvisational, and experimental responses that cope with the pandemic.

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