Update from Kate
FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND OTHER RESOURCES FOR OUR COMMUNITY DURING COVID-19
Please Share Widely:
The spread of COVID-19 in our community and across the state, country, and world is having innumerable impacts on our well-being - emotionally, physically, and financially. In today's newsletter, I would like to share with you some of the financial support and other resources that I have become aware of.
Our world is changing from one day to the next, and sometimes it feels like each minute there is a new development, so please know that these resources are not static; they, too, will likely change in the coming days, weeks, and beyond. I will continue to send out updates and information along the way.
Wishing you and yours safety and good health during this difficult time.
Kate
~and~
As you likely know, the Marin County Board of Supervisors approved a COVID-19 Relief Fund and eviction ban on Tuesday, March 24, 2020.
The eviction ban is an effort to protect residential and commercial tenants who, through no fault of their own, are facing a sudden loss of income due to COVID-19 and cannot afford their rent. One important piece to note is that this is not a rent forgiveness program – tenants are expected to pay rent on time, or if unable to do so for COVID-19-related reasons, they must give notice and provide documentation to their landlord. Tenants are ultimately still responsible for paying the rent to the landlord. Additional information about the eviction ban, including FAQs, can be found on the County Community Development Agency (CDA) website.
In the case of an eviction proceeding unrelated to COVID-19, many of the same resources that are available to tenants facing eviction during normal times are still in place. If you would like to learn more about these resources, call 415-457-INFO or visit the Marin Health & Human Services website.
Additionally, the COVID-19 Relief Fund mentioned above will support our community during this time. The County of Marin and nonprofit Marin Community Foundation (MCF) have joined to create this $1 million fund to assist vulnerable populations amid the COVID-19 response. MCF allocated $500,000, with the County matching from its General Fund, to address some of the most urgent safety-net needs for local residents.
The fund will be allocated over the next two months to soften the social and economic impacts of the pandemic with five main efforts:
- Emergency rental assistance for low-income residents
- Expanded food for economically disadvantaged families
- Expanded meals for seniors
- Wi-Fi mobile access for economically disadvantaged students
- Emergency childcare for health care workers and emergency responders
While many of us are supportive of the eviction moratorium, there are also serious concerns about how this will impact landlords who rely on their tenants’ rent payments in order to keep their mortgage payments timely. We at the County are hopeful that between the County-MCF COVID-19 Relief Fund and other supports from non-profits, the State, the Federal government, and mortgage lenders, we will all be able to get by during this difficult time, maintaining our rent and mortgage payments as much as possible and avoiding any evictions related to COVID-19.
Legal Aid will be hosting an information session on the eviction moratorium next Monday, March 30th at 7pm. It will be geared toward tenants and held in Spanish and English. This is a Zoom webinar and the details to access the info session are below.
TENANT INFO SESSION: EVICTION MORATORIUM
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/990053111?pwd=SlV2alc1a0lLYWxBR1kvUnEraUFEQT09
Meeting ID: 990 053 111
Password: 856559
One tap mobile
+16699009128,,990053111# US (San Jose)
+13462487799,,990053111# US (Houston)
The Marin Small Business Development Center (SBDC) has a website full of resources. The Marin Economic Forum also put together a list of resources for employers and employees in their March 18, 2020 blog post.
Have questions about health, auto, or business insurance - or other related matters? Check out the California Department of Insurance website.
In response to the local shelter-in-place order, the County of Marin is making it easier for resident participation at its Board of Supervisors meetings during the COVID-19 emergency with a new online option for remote participation. To learn more, read the latest press release here.
To stay up-to-date with happenings at the County, in Southern Marin, and with regard to COVID-19 in Marin, consider subscribing to the following if you haven’t already:
Also, the Marin HHS Coronavirus website has especially good FAQs, which are being updated every day. You can also direct questions to the COVID-19 Information Line at (415) 473-7191 (CA Relay Service Dial 711). Phone calls are answered Monday-Friday, 9:30am-12:00pm and 1:00pm-5:00pm. Alternatively, you can email questions to COVID-19@marincounty.org.
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