Recently graduated high school seniors and college students in the San Fernando Valley and beyond who were unable to submit their application for financial aid by the June deadline aren’t out of luck just yet before they attend college in the fall.

The nonprofit organization, Our Voice: Communities for Quality Education, is hosting four in-person and one online clinic – all for free – to help students fill out their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA) form by the secondary deadline on Sept. 3.

The in-person clinics will be held at Birmingham Veterans Hall in Woodland Hills. They will be held on Aug. 18, 25, 31 and Sept. 1 – from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The online clinic will be held through Zoom on Aug. 24 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Each clinic will be available for English and Spanish speakers.

Students who come to these clinics to submit one of these forms will receive a $25 gift card.

Evelyn Aleman, founder of Our Voice, said the deadline was extended this year because glitches with FAFSA caused delays that resulted in many students being unable to receive the financial aid by the original deadline. She understands how difficult the process can be where one mistake can hold up the whole application, especially for Latino families who have never filled one out before.

“It can be very frustrating, so that’s why these clinics are taking place,” Aleman said. “It’s to find those students and families and say, ‘We’re here to help you. Bring all your questions and we’re going to help you submit the form.’”

The National College Attainment Network said the graduating class of 2023 left $4 billion in untapped Pell Grant funds due to incomplete FAFSA forms. Additionally, California is the state with the highest amount of financial aid remaining at $493 million.

A FAFSA form can be filled out by United States citizens, permanent residents, eligible noncitizens and T visa holders – a nonimmigrant status given to certain victims of human trafficking.

To complete a CADAA form, students must be undocumented; have a valid or expired DACA status; be a U visa holder, a nonimmigrant visa granted to victims of crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse while in the U.S.; have Temporary Protected Status, which allows migrants from countries with unsafe conditions – such as an ongoing armed conflict or environmental disaster – to work and live in the U.S.; or meet the nonresident requirements under Assembly Bill 540.

Aleman said that they will have a specialist from Cash for College on hand to answer any questions families may have about CADAA. She added families that come to a workshop but feel they don’t have all the specific documents they need can come back to a subsequent workshop.

“It’s really sad these technical glitches happened this year, affecting so many students, just as we’re trying to recover from the pandemic … and it may seem like this is just another barrier for them to make their college education a reality,” Aleman said. “But we’re … going to help you, even if you think you can’t access the money, even if you think that maybe college is not for you.”

To access the online clinic through Zoom, go to https://bit.ly/46ZJ6sF.