California Wildfire Relief Fund 2018

The world is wide awake and your attention is as important as ever. The acceleration of the climate crisis is a global issue that disproportionately impacts low-income and BIPOC communities. The effects of climate change have become a devastating reality for California residents and the GlobalGiving community. 

As California enters the beginning of the 2020 fire season, the state has already witnessed record-breaking destruction. To date, multiple megafires have burned more than 3 million acres across the state, causing dozens of deaths, rolling blackouts, and unprecedented air pollution.

As the state grapples with the reality and response to these recurring fires, GlobalGiving’s local nonprofit partners continue to act. Many of those impacted by the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise have been affected by the recent North Complex fire. 

GlobalGiving partners have been on the ground, leading in all steps of the relief and recovery process. Here is how one of our partners is contributing to wildfire recovery thanks to your donation:

Following the 2018 Camp Fire, the city of Chico gained more than 19,000 new residents overnight. Fleeing the fires in nearby Paradise, many of these people had nowhere to return to. The majority came from low-income communities and formerly resided in housing such as mobile homes or cabins. Those without property insurance have been unable to rebuild and thus are left with few options for safe and stable housing. In the two years since the fire, many survivors continue to reside in spare bedrooms, travel trailers, vehicles, garages, and on couches. Many also continue to live in FEMA trailers, others in motels. 

Chico Housing Action Team (CHAT) is continuously working to help the communities affected by the Camp Fire, and the recent North Complex Fire, by finding housing and resources in Chico and surrounding areas.

With the help of donors like you, CHAT has hired a full-time case manager for the CampFire Housing Access Model Program (CHAMP). This case manager is helping fire survivors navigate the time consuming and stressful process of obtaining stable housing. CHAMP has already found success, providing landlords financial incentives such as “signing bonuses” to rent to fire survivors, damage reserve funds, and good tenant training courses. In the program’s eight month history, CHAMP has helped 28 families secure housing. Survivors face many hardships in regaining normalcy, navigating time consuming paperwork and legal battles. CHAT’s goal is to support the larger Chico community and help survivors ultimately obtain permanent housing.

Our local nonprofit partners across Northern California have proven to be increasingly adaptive as compounding disasters challenge their work. In light of recent events, taking lessons from the Camp Fire has only strengthened their response. 

Thank you for standing with the community of Chico and supporting community-led response to provide a long term sustainable future. 

In solidarity,
Mikaela + the GlobalGiving Team

While the worldwide pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have drastically impacted the entire GlobalGiving community, we’ve been hard at work listening to the needs of our nonprofit partners and donors. The GlobalGiving Disaster Recovery Network recognizes that for communities already hard-hit by previous disasters and fighting to recover from damaged homes, lost wages, and ongoing trauma, the effects of the COVID-19 virus lockdown have been especially difficult. 

We reached out to our trusted nonprofit partners in California who were attuned to the voices in their community long before the 2018 wildfires and are continuing to respond to the current crisis. From Chico, Northern California, to San Diego, these incredible organizations are meeting the needs of their communities, filling the gaps in state funding, and preparing Californians for the upcoming 2020 wildfire season.

Your generous support of the 2018 Wildfire Relief Fund is fueling the following community-led responses to the economic, health, and emotional impacts of COVID-19:

Sheltering the Unhoused:

• The town of Chico, California received thousands of survivors from the nearby Camp Fire with open arms, and nonprofits such as Safe Space Winter Shelter have helped house those who lost their homes in the fire. When California issued their shelter-in-place order, Safe Space developed a plan to house 145 medically vulnerable community members experiencing homelessness in local motel rooms. Many of these guests have been identified as having a high risk of developing complications from COVID-19. “They have been managing medical conditions like diabetes, chronic lung disease, heart disease, kidney disease, and cancer while living unsheltered, and it is clear to us just how critical shelter is in a person’s ability to address medical needs.” Beyond simply having access to a bed, a bathroom, and a shower, guests receive full case management and support to shelter-in-place. 
• United Way of Northern California has expanded its 2-1-1 operations in response to the spike in calls from residents in search of food, utility and rent assistance, and COVID-19 sample tests. By targeting support to displaced workers, senior citizens, and those facing homelessness, this United Way team is committed to addressing the needs of disadvantaged communities as California enters phase three of re-opening. 

Local News in Native Languages 

• Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) launched a COVID-19 task force to provide rapid response information to Spanish monolingual, Mixteco, and Zapoteco community members at a time when the usual high-touch, door-to-door strategies are unavailable. The organization is working to ensure that Indigenous language-speaking communities have access to stable internet connectivity to keep them informed on the latest public health updates in Santa Barbara, one of the counties with the highest infection rates in the state. 

Fighting Financial Instability 

• The Ventura Community Foundation launched the Ventura County Rapid Response Fund for COVID-19 to bolster the efforts of nonprofit organizations addressing the needs of individuals and families with food and housing support, childcare, wage replacement, and mental health services through a partnership with Give an Hour. The Fund is also filling in the gaps in federal and state funds by supporting small businesses through this crisis so they will be able to re-open as key providers of employment, connection, and development in their local communities. 
• The North Valley Community Foundation has been working nonstop for residents in Butte County still recovering from the Camp Fire in 2018. Their nonprofit network has prioritized COVID-19 testing through local labs, food, shelter, children’s services, and personal protective equipment for first responders. Looking ahead, they are gearing up to ensure that students in rural areas will have access to internet connectivity and other resources they need for virtual education in the fall. 
• Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans operates in San Diego, a city with one of the country’s largest resettled refugee communities. Recognizing the immediate impact on a community where many work in the restaurant, tourism, and small business sectors, PANA activated a response to provide small, one-time grants for resettled individuals to cover rent, utilities, childcare, food, and other emergency needs. 

Emotional Wellness for All

• During such draining and stressful times, Give an Hour has adapted its programs to reach essential workers, undocumented families, and all Southern California residents who are looking for mental health resources through its phone and web-based support lines, offering guidance and healing six days a week. Through English and Spanish resources, Give an Hour even hosted a wonderful Emotional Wellness session with the GlobalGiving team that left us feeling seen, and refreshed to continue directing relief efforts to communities impacted by COVID-19 across the world. 

In this era of uncertainty, we are grateful to GlobalGiving donors like you who believe in the power of local, community-led responses to disasters. Thank you for standing with those affected by the frequent California wildfires. We’ll be back with future updates on how your contribution is building state-wide resilience. 

With Gratitude,

Andrea + the GlobalGiving Team