In late 2020 the Office of Community Affairs - Immigrant Services - was awarded a  national Gateways for Growth grant, one of just 19 local governments selected across the United States to receive this highly competitive award. Learn more about Gateways for Growth here

Phase 1: Development of a qualitative research report on the demographic and economic contributions immigrants make in their communities. See the report here: The Demographic and Economic Contributions of Immigrants in San Mateo County

Phase 2: Forming a Steering Committee and Community Engagement Teams. Working in close collaboration with county partners, a Steering Committee was formed and includes 30 members.  See the Steering Committee roster here

Additionally, 5 Community Engagement Teams were created that focused on:

  • Community Connectedness & Engagement
  • Economic Development
  • Education Opportunities & Outcomes
  • Equitable Access to Services
  • Safe Communities

See the Community Engagement Team rosters here

Phase 3: Creation of an Immigrant Inclusion Survey. The Steering Committee and Community Engagement Teams, with the support from the Stanford Gardener Center, developed an Immigrant Inclusion Survey.

A key step in writing the Immigrant Inclusion Strategic Plan was launching a survey to help engage our immigrant residents and ask questions that will give our community better insight to the needs of our immigrant community. Additionally, we conducted focus groups with immigrants from different backgrounds, languages, and geographic areas around the county to hear more details about their lived experiences and recommendations. See more about the Immigrant Inclusion Survey here. 

Phase 4: Data analysis and drafting the 3-5 year Immigrant Inclusion Strategic Plan with the support of Stanford Gardner Center. Preliminary data results can be found here.