To help support housekeepers, gardeners, nannies, caregivers and other informal service workers financially impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires, last week LA City Councilmember Imelda Padilla and Mayor Karen Bass distributed gift cards to assist community members with immediate and urgent expenses.
At the start of the wildfires, Padilla introduced a council motion to create a $25,000 emergency relief fund for District 6 residents who worked in Altadena, Pacific Palisades or other affected areas, and, as a result, lost their jobs. Roberto Barragan, executive director of Initiating Change in Our Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation (ICON CDC), announced ICON would match the funding, bringing the total to $50,000 for Padilla’s district.
“I’m grateful to ICON CDC for matching our commitment and ensuring that even more workers in our district get the support they deserve,” said Padilla.
Padilla, Bass and Barragan distributed U.S. Bank Visa gift cards – $250 for qualifying individuals and $500 for families – at the ICON offices in Van Nuys on Jan. 30. The goal, said Padilla, was to provide a helping hand to self-employed service workers typically excluded from federal or state disaster relief programs, to assist them with expenses such as food and utilities.
“This relief fund was about urgency – getting money into the hands of those who need it most as quickly as possible,” explained Padilla. “When I pushed to establish this fund, I was thinking about people like my dad, who spent nearly his entire life as a gardener, and neighbors who work as housekeepers, many of whom lost their clients.”
People like Luis (who requested that his last name not be used), who lives in Arleta with his wife and child. He had been working as a gardener for nearly 10 years, slowly building up his clients. Unfortunately, he said, most of the homes he serviced were in Altadena, which was devastated by the Eaton Fire. From one day to the next, with so many homes no longer standing, he lost most of his income.
“The fires have affected me and my family a whole lot, because I used to be out there working almost every day,” Luis told the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol. “It’s so hard because I want to work and I’ve been trying to go somewhere else, to speak with people in other areas, but those locations are already taken – they already have gardeners. … So it’s like starting all over again.
“Right now, I’m just trying to navigate all of that and it can get very stressful, so I was really thankful I was approved for this,” said Luis, who received a $500 gift card. “Every penny helps.”
Councilmember Monica Rodriguez also accepted ICON’s offer to provide matching funds for their own emergency fund – also a combined total of $50,000 – to help displaced service workers who reside in District 7. Her office is now accepting applications for a future distribution date.
Barragan expressed appreciation for the California Community Foundation, whose financial contribution has allowed ICON to match the emergency funds for participating council districts, to ensure that affected workers had “immediate access to relief funds … across the valley.”
The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) is also providing support for individuals and families affected by the fires who do not qualify for FEMA aid or other disaster relief. Qualifying workers will receive mini grants of $500 or $1,000, depending on the level of need, the number of family members and “the loss that they [experienced] – whether it’s temporary or permanent,” explained Jorge-Mario Cabrera, director of communications for CHIRLA.
“We have a lot of folks who are gardeners, factory workers, nannies, pet sitters and office workers who are either temporarily out of work, until who knows when, or they’ve lost their jobs, so they will be needing assistance,” said Cabrera.
“Everyone is struggling right now, especially people who lost their homes,” added Luis. “At the end of the day … we’re just kind of trying to pick each other up as best we can.”
To apply for the Wildfire Relief Fund for Informal Service Workers for Council District 7 (which includes Pacoima, San Fernando, Sylmar, Mission Hills, Sunland-Tujunga, Shadow Hills and portions of North Hills and Sun Valley), go to bit.ly/cd7wildfirerelief.
To apply for CHIRLA’s iRelief Fund, call 1-888-624-4752. To make a donation or for more information, go to www.chirla.org/irelieffund.
For information about the Alliance for a Better Community’s “Fuerza Fund” for wildfire-impacted workers and families, go to www.afabc.org/fuerza-fund.