Even with relatively few COVID-19 cases in Sonoma County so far, people are already suffering from the economic impacts of lost hours at work, and fears of a longer-term economic slowdown. Parents who have children in schools that are closing are struggling to find childcare so they can maintain their jobs. People who have never had access to sick pay are wondering how to cope with this disaster if they cannot afford to stay home.
Nonprofit organizations provide a safety net for the most vulnerable populations in Sonoma County, and we are approaching this pandemic knowing that disasters exacerbate the inequity in our community. We know how much our community is suffering, economically, emotionally and physically, and we are here to help.
Today we are announcing $805,000 in emergency grants to 35 nonprofit organizations to help support economic and health needs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Supporting the nonprofit organizations who are here to help is our top priority, these grants will bolster economic resilience county-wide by helping to keep people housed through rental assistance programs, keep food in people’s pantries, and help providers offer vitally needed services for homeless and low-income communities.” Said Elizabeth Brown, President and CEO.
These grants were made through the Foundation’s Julia L. Grant Fund for Basic Human Needs as well as our Sonoma County Resilience Fund, a long-term disaster recovery fund first established after the 2017 North Bay Firestorm.
The grants, totaling $805,000, will go to 35 local nonprofit organizations to help support their current clients’ needs, and bolster funding reserves as they prepare to scale up services as new needs emerge:
- Buckelew Programs – to provide direct and immediate emergency services to community members with behavioral health challenges
- COTS – to provide transportation vouchers for people experiencing homelessness or housing crises, for access to health, housing, and employment opportunities
- Catholic Charities – to provide emergency services such as rental assistance, food and other essentials for vulnerable community members
- Child Parent Institute (CPI) – to provide financial support to high risk families with emergent needs to maintain housing, medical care and stability
- Community Action Partnership – to provide emergency services such as rental assistance, food and other essentials for vulnerable community members
- Corazón Healdsburg – to provide emergency housing, utilities, food, baby supplies, transportation and shelter for qualified families and individuals served by Corazón Healdsburg
- Council on Aging Services – for Seniors to provide home delivered meals to frail, isolated and homebound seniors
- Covia Foundation – to provide emergency funding for seniors living on fixed incomes who are in dire circumstances
- F.I.S.H. of Santa Rosa – to purchase food from Redwood Empire Food Bank for ever-increasing clientele at F.I.S.H. free food pantry
- Food For Thought – to provide healthy groceries to seriously ill, food-insecure homeless people across Sonoma County
- Friends In Sonoma Helping – to provide rental assistance to underserved Sonoma Valley families & individuals
- Healdsburg Food Pantry – to provide free food to underserved families and seniors in the Healdsburg and Geyserville area
- InterFaith Shelter Network (ISN) – to provide emergency funding for clients in IFSN housing programs
- Jewish Community Free Clinic of Sonoma County – to fund tangible direct aid health provisions for the underserved (e.g. medications, vaccines, and lab tests)
- La Luz Center – to assist low-income Sonoma Valley individuals/families with emergency shelter, food and basic needs
- Lilliput Families – to provide for the basic needs of children/youth who have entered into emergency relative care
- Operation Access – to coordinate donated surgeries and specialty medical procedures for undocumented people in Sonoma County
- Petaluma People Services Center – to provide home-delivered meals and check-ins through the Meals on Wheels Program for at-risk seniors
- Reach for Home – to provide utility and housing stabilization through their Rapid Re-housing program in north Sonoma County
- Redwood Empire Food Bank – to provide nourishing fruits and vegetables to our hungry neighbors to improve their quality of life
- River to Coast Children’s Services – to provide emergency basic human needs for West Sonoma County children and families
- SHARE Sonoma County – to provide immediate and direct aid through an Emergency Needs Fund for participants in the home share programs
- Salvation Army – Santa Rosa to provide emergency bus passes for clients in the Adult Transitional Living program and senior clients
- Side by Side – to provide emergency basic needs funding for low-income families in their Sonoma County programs
- Sonoma Overnight Support – to assist clients with basic-need day-services such as emergency food and transportation
- Sonoma State University Seawolf Scholars Program – to provide emergency funding to students enrolled in the Seawolf Scholars Program at Sonoma State University
- Sonoma Valley Community Health Center – to provide transportation for people to receive medical care at Sonoma Valley Community Health Center
- Vincent De Paul Sonoma County – to support the food program at the St. Vincent de Paul Community Kitchen
- TLC Child and Family Services – to assist former foster youth with emergency housing, gas, food and transportation assistance.
- The Living Room – to provide immediate and direct assistance to secure emergency food, transportation, hygiene products, clothing, etc
- Verity – to assist survivors of sexual violence meet emergency basic needs such as housing, food, and transportation
- Voices Sonoma – to address critical, basic needs of transition-age youth including transportation, food, mental health and urgent care
- West County Community Services – to provide food for very low-income and disaster-affected seniors
- Women’s Recovery Services – to provide the immediate basic human needs for mothers with substance dependence and their children
- YWCA of Sonoma County – to provide basic needs to victims of domestic violence in their confidential Safe House
