Date

5-2026

Document Type

Capstone Project (Open Access)

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Department

Health, Human Services and Public Policy

Major

Collaborative Health and Human Services

Abstract

Immigration related stress is a major public health issue for undocumented immigrants and mixed status families. That is linked towards the social determinants of health associated with mental health, stress, and disparities. This capstone project was implemented at Santa Cruz County Immigration Project, a program within the Community Action Board in Watsonville, California, that provides legal assistance and support towards the community. The purpose of this project was to evaluate & analyze collected data from clients feedback through bilingual surveys & intake forms that were distributed in person, email, text, and QR code. A total of 50 surveys were collected, including 37 Spanish and 13 English language surveys. The survey used both quantitative and qualitative questions to effectively measure clients' security of immigration status before/after receiving services. That aim is to increase hope for clients and calculate patterns of instability. This mixed method approach helped identify trends, protective factors, and patterns of perceived immigration security within the study population. Results showed that clients ratings reported greater feelings of security increased from 41.67% before services and 61.11% after services. The increase suggests a positive intervention effect indicating the program's mission to reduce immigration distress. The findings show the importance of culturally responsive services to improve the wellbeing amongst immigrant families who face federal government immigrant related stress. Next is to examine the result of the long term public health effect of this administration by providing mental health options & trauma informed services for the community.

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