Hello Wonderful Community!

We hope everything is going as well as it can for you and your loved ones. Though it is a time of crisis, we have been greatly inspired and touched by the networks of support that have emerged to support and provide direct resources to those most impacted by this pandemic. We must remember that though this virus is global – marginalized people of color have largely been impacted the most by this pandemic. There are a number of resources that have been put together by hard working organizers here in the Bay Area.

The Peace Center will be compiling these resources into a guide for you to access easily. Please keep an eye on this page for updates.

If you have any information about mutual-aid networks, organizing efforts, or mask/gloves donations to hospitals – please contact me at andrew@ourpeacecenter.org

The information below was compiled by the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. This page was last updated on March 30, 2020.

CALIFORNIA

Workers Rights in California:

If your employment has been impacted, visit the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency website to review what benefits are available to you:

  • If you lost your job or had reduced hours for reasons related to COVID-19 you may qualify for unemployment insurance. File A Claim Here
  • If you are unable to work due to medical quarantine or illness related to COVID-19 (certified by a medical professional) you may qualify for Disability Insurance. File a claim here
  • If you or a family member are sick or for preventative care when civil authorities recommend quarantine you may qualify for paid sick leave. File a Claim Here
  • If you are unable to work because you are caring for an ill or quarantined family member with COVID-19 (certified by a medical professional) you may qualify for Paid Family Leave. File A Claim Here

COVID-19 EMERGENCY INFORMATION & RESOURCES FOR JOBS, FOOD, HOUSING, PUBLIC BENEFITS, ETC.

(Information shared by the Public Defenders Office)

  • Income: Know your rights if you cannot work
  • Food: Where to get food for your children and you
    • ​All Oakland Unified students and families and any Oakland residents under 18 can pick up free food at OUSD’s 12 pick up sites. Hayward Unified provides the same support here, Berkeley schools here, San Leandro Unified here, Fremont here. Anyone, especially those who are unhoused or elderly, can call the Alameda County Food Bank’s emergency food helpline. Seniors can also call a Meals on Wheels provider to sign up for food delivered daily — county providers here.
  • Public benefits: How to get and continue aid
    • ​Eligible people can still apply for food stamps, GA, CalWorks, and other benefits right now. Our county’s social services agency is encouraging phone and online applications — see here. The governor also issued an executive order allowing safety net programs to continue without interruption and without need for re-certifications for 90 days.
  • Evictions, foreclosures and utilities
    • ​The Alameda County Sheriff and Alameda County Superior Court have agreed to halt evictions in our county. Find an ongoing updated page about eviction policies across the Bay during Covid-19 from Bay Legal here. HUD also announced a 60-day moratorium on all evictions and foreclosures for single family homeowners with FHA-insured mortgages — see here. And, PG&E implemented a moratorium on service disconnections due to non-payment — see here.
  • Healthcare
    • ​Alameda County provides healthcare to low-income people who are not eligible for Medi-Cal (such as undocumented people) through HealthPAC. Also, testing and treatment related to Covid-19 will not be considered in the USCIS public charge test — see here. Resources in Spanish can be found here. Street Level Health Project: Hotline (510)306-4835, open M -F 8:30-5pm and has Mam and Spanish speakers to assist with applying for benefits (including HealthPAC) over the phone and online. They are also able to refer clients to a staff clinician for an over the phone assessment of symptoms and can make referrals to Highland Hospital.
  • Mental Health, addiction and homelessness
  • Mutual Aid (community volunteer support) and crow-sourced resources Disability Justice Culture Club East Bay help form, Oakland high risk matching project–here’s a flyer, Bay Area Covid-19 Mass Resource List
  • Homeless Resources: Alameda County Healthcare for the Homeless Covid-19 guidance includes a phone number to call if someone is unhoused with symptoms. The state has already leased 2 Oakland hotels for high-risk and confirmed coronavirus cases of homeless folks–we’re staying updated on this. The Berkeley Free Clinic’s Street Medicine Team, East Oakland Collective, and other community orgs are working hard to deliver sanitation stations and food to encampments.
  • Oakland towing and parking: The city has suspended enforcement of most parking restrictions, metered parking, and time-limited parking. Most towing has been suspended also — refer here.
  • Can’t find what you’re looking for? The state government just created this https://covid19.ca.gov/ new website to be a one stop shop for all California specific updates and resources about the pandemic.

NATIONAL

  • Information in different languages
  • Information for immigrants: Press Release from USCIS. 
    • USCIS says testing for the coronavirus “will neither consider testing, treatment, nor preventative care (including vaccines, if a vaccine becomes available) related to COVID-19 as part of a public charge inadmissibility determination” Read the full release here.
  • Coronavirus Resource Kit: Broken down by state, though not all states covered. From Equality Labs. 
  • Learning to Live with Coronavirus: The Daily Podcast episode that covers public transportation, supermarkets, and more. (Link is with Spotify)
  • Get The Facts Straight: short video on Coronavirus. Information about the coronavirus outbreak is spreading fast, but what do we actually know about the illness? CBC News medical contributor and family physician Dr. Peter Lin breaks down the facts about what it is, where it came from, how it spreads and what you can do to protect yourself.