LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — In response to the 2021 California wildfire season, United Way Bay Area is delivering relief assistance and long-term recovery resources for affected residents and community agencies through the Greater Bay Area Central Coast Wildfire Relief Fund.
The fund, which launched in 2020, is a collaborative effort between United Way Bay Area, United Way of the Wine Country, United Way Monterey County and United Way of Santa Cruz County to support the 15 counties serviced by the four organizations: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, Sonoma, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Mendocino, Lake, Humboldt and Del Norte.
With more than 2,000,000 acres burned in California so far during the 2021 fire season, it is a critical time to support wildfire victims.
In addition to thousands of structures burned, tens of thousands of Californians had to evacuate their homes to escape danger.
In the Greater Bay Area, Central and Northern Coast Regions, the Lake County Cache Fire, where more than 50 homes burned to the ground, triggered the opening of the fund this year.
The fund will provide immediate and long-term support for victims of the Cache Fire and any others that occur this year, including: evacuation housing assistance through vouchers or cash, cash assistance to displaced families, food and rent assistance, case management services, and mental health counseling.
The four participating United Way organizations share resources based on a mutual assessment of local needs, the opportunity to fill gaps in services, and the ability to leverage other philanthropic resources. Funds are distributed with equitable insight from community members and partners.
“Funds donated will provide immediate help to residents that have seen their lives turned upside down by these wildfires. We’re also focused on recovery efforts to ensure this disaster doesn’t drive vulnerable families deeper into poverty. When you’re already living one paycheck away from devastation, a setback like this can last for years, even reverberating into the next generation,“ said Kevin Zwick, CEO of United Way Bay Area. "United Way Bay Area is honored to collaborate with and coordinate support for wildfire victims through a strong network of United Ways in the region. We are grateful to the individuals, businesses, and community-based organizations stepping forward with financial support and direct assistance to help our neighbors facing wildfire disasters.”
In 2020, Bay Area, Central, and Northern Coast community members raised $1.6M for the wildfire relief fund which assisted over 10,000 families and individuals during last year’s fires, including the CZU, LNU, and SCU Lightning Complex fires.
For more information or to make a donation to the Greater Bay Area Central Coast Wildfire Relief Fund, visit https://uwba.org/wildfire.
Bay Area residents seeking assistance are encouraged to dial 2-1-1 to be connected to a specialist for personalized assistance or visit www.211bayarea.org.
United Way Bay Area Activates Wildfire Relief Fund, coordinating support throughout region
- Lake County News reports
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