MENDOCINO Co., 8/22/19 — It’s approaching the two year anniversary of the Redwood Complex Fire in October, 2017, and the deadline for fire survivors to apply for individual assistance from Mendocino-ROC and the Community Foundation of Mendocino County will be closing on October 31, 2019.
The foundation has distributed over $3.5 million in funds over the last two years, but there are still funds available for individual homeowners and renters to apply for until October. After October, however, individual grants related to the Redwood Complex Fires and the Mendocino Complex Fires in 2018 will not be available. The hours for the Mendocino-ROC resource room will also be shifting from open hours to appointment only. Additional funds for fire survivors from PG&E are also available through the recently announced Wildfire Assistance Fund — read more about that here.
The Community Foundation will continue its work helping the community rebuild, and contributing to greater community resilience throughout the county.
Here’s the full announcement:
Deadline to Apply for Mendocino-ROC Fire Recovery Grants Announced
Mendocino-ROC, the long-term fire recovery team for Mendocino County has been dedicated to helping survivors get back home since the fires struck in October of 2017. As we approach the two-year anniversary of the fires, we are putting out a call to fire survivors to submit applications for remaining available funds. Grants and resources are still available to homeowners and renters for rebuilding and long-term recovery needs.Since our recovery efforts began immediately following the October 2017 Redwood Complex Fire, Mendocino-ROC has distributed over $3,535,791 to Mendocino County residents. These funds have been distributed in tiered levels of support. Immediate relief was offered right after the fires including gas, food and lodging to evacuees and those that lost their home. Recovery support was then offered to remove roadblocks and restore a sense of normalcy. This was achieved through a portfolio of grants including rental assistance, critical needs, utility repair, senior respite, animal habitats and kids’ activities. These efforts were complimented with community recovery grants. The bulk of funding we have distributed has been in the form of Housing Assistance Grants, large grants to help fire survivors rebuild or purchase a home. To date over $1.7M has been awarded in large housing grants to survivors of the 2017 Redwood Complex and 2018 Mendocino Complex fires.
As we approach year three we must allocate the majority of remaining funds. Many fire survivors are in touch with our case managers at the Redwood Resource Room on a regular basis. However, some have not checked-in for many months. We want to encourage any fire survivor who still requires support, particularly through a Housing Assistance Grant to rebuild or purchase a home, to contact a case manager at the Redwood Resource Room.
The deadline to apply for Mendocino-ROC fire recovery funds is October 31, 2019. To find out what grants you may be eligible for, please call or text 621-8817 to make an appointment or visit the Redwood Resource Room at the Ukiah Valley Conference Center during drop-in hours Monday-Thursday 10am-2pm. You can also email [email protected]
PG&E has just announced the new Wildfire Assistance Fund, which provides up to $5,000 for Basic Unmet Needs to survivors of the Redwood Complex fire. These funds are not being administered by Mendocino-ROC, however if you need assistance in applying you may call a case manager at the Redwood Resource Room (621-8817). To apply for the PG&E Wildfire Assistance Fund, you can visit https://www.norcalwildfireassistanceprogram.com
The Redwood Resource Room will also end drop-in hours on October 31, 2019. Beginning November 1, 2019 the Redwood Resource Room will only be available by appointment.
Mendocino-ROC is dedicated to helping fire survivors return home. If you still need assistance, please contact us today.
