Local/state and federal information.

Ventura County is now offering free Antibody Testing.

Testing site locations and times here.

AntibodyTest_Info-1685x2048

General information

  • Resources to Support the Community During Coronavirus- English/Spanish
    Bilingual list of local and online resources to support the community during coronavirus, which includes basic needs, employment interruption support, support for seniors, mental health, educational activities, and stories, projects and more, as well as how to talk about coronavirus with kids and teens to help with fear and anxiety.
  • Recursos para Apoyar a la Comunidad Durante el Coronavirus – español/inglés
    Lista bilingüe de recursos locales y en línea para apoyar a la comunidad durante el coronavirus, la cual incluye necesidades básicas, apoyo para la interrupción del empleo, apoyo para personas mayores, salud mental, actividades educativas, cuentos, proyectos y más, además de cómo hablar con los niños y adolescentes acerca del coronavirus, para ayudar con el miedo y la ansiedad.

Safety Net Resources

Continue to receive health care, food assistance and in-home supportive services in a timely manner during the COVID-19 outbreak. Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order extends the eligibility period for important safety net services. The order waives eligibility redetermination for 90 days for Californians who participate in these services:

Mortgage Assistance, Property Taxes, and Rents

The following local, national and state-chartered banks have agreed to provide mortgage and fee relief assistance to individuals:
Bank of America
Montecito Bank & Trust
Citigroup
Chase
US Bank
Wells Fargo

Property Taxes

3/19/2020 News Release:  Pursuant to Executive Order N-33-20 issued by Governor Newsom, the County Government Center offices are closed to the public until at least April 20th to help limit the spread of COVID-19. The Treasurer Tax Collector’s East County Satellite Office in Thousand Oaks will not be in operation this tax season. The April 10th property tax deadline remains in effect.

SECURED TAXES ARE DELINQUENT AFTER APRIL 10, 2020: Steven Hintz, Ventura County Treasurer-Tax Collector, announced that the April 10th deadline for Secured property tax bills is still in effect. The 2nd installment of the 2019/20 Annual Secured property tax bill is due as of February 1st and will become delinquent if not paid on or before April 10th. The Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office does not have the authority to extend the payment deadline of April 10th and all payments received after this date will be assessed a late payment penalty.

PENALTY WAIVERS AFTER APRIL 10TH: After April 10th, the Treasurer-Tax Collector’s office will consider written requests for waiver of late-payment penalties on a case by case basis, with proven significant economic hardship, directly caused by the Covid-19 situation. The Cancellation of Penalty form will be available on our website after April 10th.

QUESTIONS? Contact our office by email at HelpingHand@ventura.org. Call us at (805) 654-3744.

Renter Protections

(VCStar) Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order in mid-March that authorized local governments to halt evictions but came short of stopping evictions statewide. Over 80 cities and counties passed eviction moratoriums, including most Ventura County cities and Ventura County.

After receiving some pushback for not enacting a statewide eviction ban, Newsom issued a second executive order on March 27, which puts a 60-day halt on residential evictions due to nonpayment of rent for coronavirus-related reasons. Under the order, the tenant must notify the landlord in writing that they need to delay some or all of their rent payment within seven days of the date the rent was due.

 Small Business Resources

  • The Federal Paycheck Protection Program went live this week. It makes loans to small businesses.
  • California’s assistance programs for small businesses can be found HERE.
  • California’s Small Business Association’s assistance can be found HERE.

 Health Insurance/ COVID-19 screening & testing

If you have lost your health insurance you can find out more and enroll HERE.

  • Effective immediately, anyone uninsured and eligible to enroll in health care coverage through Covered California can sign up through the end of June.
  • The Department of Health Care Services announces new steps to help those eligible for Medi-Cal sign up easily and get immediate coverage.
  • The moves come amid widespread disruption in the lives and livelihoods of Californians as public health officials seek to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
  • All medically necessary screening and testing for COVID-19 are free of charge, and all health plans available through Medi-Cal and Covered California offer telehealth options.
  • These actions build on increased state subsidies and the implementation of a state penalty, both of which took effect in January 2020.

Information for senior citizens.

Do you need help? Can you help?

  • Here’s our local volunteer/donation list.
  • Here’s a list of resources from MoveOn:

You might need help right now, or maybe you can deliver groceries, pick up prescriptions, offer translation services, provide tutoring support, or just be virtual company for someone struggling with self-quarantine. Though there isn’t a group in our area now, this map keeps growing, and you can add to it!

mutual aid

Resources to find help:
  1. Have you, or someone you know, experienced a hate crime in the coronavirus response, which has especially targeted Asian communities? Report it at here.. This site was developed by Asian Americans Advancing Justice.
  2. Mental health for frontline workers: Low-cost, online services for frontline communities, including health care workers, first responders, and other essential service providers without the option of staying home.
  3. Multilingual information on coronavirus: Information is available in 79 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, American Sign Language, and more.
  4. Health care workers needing masks: Use MaskMatch.com to request that folks with spare N95 or surgical masks send them to you.
  5. Resources for domestic violence survivors and people experiencing homelessness: National hotlines and community tips for especially vulnerable communities, with resources for both at-risk individuals and the organizations that provide direct services to these communities. People experiencing homelessness should also refer to this website to find a shelter and other resources.
  6. Undocumented and seeking health care: A guide to the health care options of undocumented community members. The National Immigration Law Center also created their guide on the rights of undocumented persons seeking health care and navigating private insurance and Medicaid.
  7. Artists and members of the gig economy: Find resources, including emergency funding and community care opportunities, on this website.
  8. General anxiety support: Get smart tips on managing the financial, emotional, and mental anxiety of this pandemic.
  9. Tipped and service industry workers: Ask for financial support from a mutual aid fund set up by One Fair Wage.
  10. Next Door here.

Resources to offer help:

  1. Send equipment to health care workers: Use MaskMatch.com to send spare N95 masks and surgical masks to individual health care workers, or use GetUsPPE.org to see what health care centers in your community need and how to donate.
  2. Guide on taking care of disabled and immuno-compromised friends: Notes on equitable care from a chronically ill human in the Seattle area.
  3. Learn to disrupt racism: This is a skill we all need to have all the time, and developing it now will help address the rising rate of hate crimes against Asian communities we’re seeing in response to the coronavirus.
  4. How to make masks, hand sanitizer: Several clear, step-by-step, practical guides.
  5. Donate to relief funds: Millions have been hit with joblessness, with vulnerable communities often receiving the hardest hit or being excluded from stimulus efforts. There are countless ways to contribute—like the linked fund to provide rent relief to undocumented communities in Seattle, this Twitter thread of queer/trans artists in the gig economy, or the One Fair Wage relief fund for tipped and service industry workers, a fund to which MoveOn members have already donated more than $100,000.
  6. Consider creating your own mutual aid network: Here’s a great guide to getting started, with more resources linked, and join the Mutual Aid slack network for more resources and community.
  7. Next Door here.
  8. Do you have technical skills to donate? If you have experience running medical equipment, especially PCR machines or 3D printers, there are ways for you to volunteer. And, Helpful Engineering is organizing people to contribute to a number of projects to fight COVID-19.

Have a COVID-19 question? Ask a scientist. The Federation of American Scientists has an online portal of frequently asked questions and an opportunity to submit your questions to scientists for an answer. We’ve all seen bad information on coronavirus floating around on the internet. When in doubt, don’t reference a meme. Ask a scientist!