Sonoma County okays more support for the Covid-affected

The County of Sonoma has expanded eligibility criteria for emergency COVID-19 financial assistance, sending additional funding to the local nonprofit On the Move to deliver more support to local residents.

The support is aimed at Sonoma County community members to make up for lost time at work, unemployment, health care and costs associated with isolation or quarantining related to COVID-19 exposure.

Eligible residents must test positive for COVID-19 or be a close contact, not have access to paid leave, and have an income that is less than 80 percent of the annual median income in the County.

The County has decided to extend its contract with On the Move due to what it deems the nonprofit’s successful program COVID-19 Urgent Response and Aid (the CURA Project), which brings together Sonoma County leaders, partner organizations and community members to provide direct support to the Covid-impacted.

Partner agencies include La Luz, Leap Solutions, Humanidad, Botanical Bus, Lideres Campesinas, Nuestra Comunidad, Charla Project, Latino Service Providers, Undocufund, IsoCare, River to Coast Children’s Services, McDowell Family Resource Center, Corazon Healdsburg, and Via Esperanza.

“The importance of partners like On the Move and the CURA Project cannot be understated,” said Susan Gorin, chair of the Board of Supervisors. “Our Department of Health Services knows that it is critical to have partners with strong relationships and a trusted history of supporting our community.”

The original contract with On the Move began on Sept. 29 and prioritized farmworkers, local laborers, and other Latinx and indigenous language-speaking communities. The nonprofit distributed the initial $600,000 earmarked for emergency financial assistance to about 400 families.

The wide success of the program, which was funded through the Community Foundation, demonstrated the greater need for assistance throughout Sonoma County, Gorin said.

The County then entered into a second agreement with On the Move for an additional $1.8 million, or $1,216 per person. The financial support, which came from CARES Act funding, was designated for up to 1,368 confirmed adult COVID-19 cases.

Through the County’s contact tracing program, the County has determined that essential workers, especially members of the Latinx community, are often contracting Covid in the workplace — and then spreading it to those in their households.

In addition to the emergency financial assistance, the CURA Project connects residents with additional programs designed to slow the spread of COVID-19, including providing hotel rooms for those who are unable to isolate at home.