Sonoma County Se Abrirán Centros De Asistencia Local En Guerneville Y Healdsburg

Press release from the Sonoma County Government:

August 28, 2020

En español

Santa Rosa, CA - August 28, 2020 - Residents affected by the Walbridge and Meyers fires can access recovery services and resources at two Local Assistance Centers (LACs) beginning Saturday, August 29 . Both LACs will provide the same resources to residents, including assistance with replacing documents (such as driver's licenses, identification cards, and vital records), access to financial resources, rebuilding information, and the insurance claims process. Nonprofits will be available to help with resource coordination, but will not give out gift cards.

The West County LAC is at Bank of America in Guerneville (16390 Main St.) and the North County LAC is in the Healdsburg High School Gym (1024 Prince St.). The hours of Saturday, August 29 are from 1 to 7 pm Starting on Sunday, August 30, the hours are from 10 am to 7 pm every day until September 4. LACs can remain open after this date if necessary.

With resources shifting to the LACs, the Community Point of Distribution (CPOD) for residents re-entering burned areas will close at the end of today. Reentry resources will be available at LAC locations beginning Saturday.

Language access services, including Spanish interpretation, will be available in the LACs. To comply with security procedures to prevent the transmission of Covid-19, all visitors must wear face covers and maintain a distance of at least two feet from others.

Government agencies and non-profit organizations will be available in the LACs in person and virtually to answer questions, refer residents to recovery resources, and take applications to determine eligibility for programs and benefits. Services are open to all residents, regardless of immigration status. Agencies in the LACs will include:

Sonoma County Departments:

In person:

• County Clerk-Recorder will provide support with the Calamity Claim Evaluation Form, Voter Registration and Vital Records. The services will also be available virtually.
• Permit Sonoma will provide information to help homeowners understand the permitting process for recovery and reconstruction.
• Environmental Health will provide information on debris removal and return-home documents.

Virtual:

• The Economic Development Board will be available to support local businesses.
• The Department of Human Services will provide a variety of services including adult services, employment services, and financial assistance.

California State Agencies:

• California Office of Emergency Services
• Department of Motor Vehicles for those who need identification or driver's licenses.
• Employment Development Department for assistance with applications for unemployment benefits.

Community and non-profit organizations:

• Sonoma County Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COAD) is coordinating the participation of non-profit organizations in LACs. COAD is a coalition of non-profit organizations that came together in response to the 2017 fires and is being reactivated to respond to the needs of the community from this disaster. Some of the participating organizations include Catholic Charities, Latino Service Providers, Sonoma County Community Action Partnership, and Corazon Healdsburg. The Small Business Development Center will be available virtually.

Federal agencies:

• FEMA representatives will be available to assist survivors with their FEMA disaster assistance records. Survivors can register in three ways: visit disastersistance.gov , download the app to a smartphone or tablet, or call (800) 621-3362 .

A list of participating LAC agencies and other recovery resources will soon be available at http://www.socoemergencia.org/walbridge-meyers-lac-sp .

This press release was produced by the Sonoma County Government . The views expressed here are the author's own.