The Ventura County Community Development Corp. has created an assistance program for people affected by the Thomas Fire and/or Montecito mudslides.
The Ventura County Community Development Corp. has created an assistance program for residents of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties affected by the Thomas Fire and/or Montecito mudslides.
The nonprofit community economic development organization said the funds come from an $800,000 commitment made by Wells Fargo to assist with economic recovery for those affected by the related disasters.
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The initial $300,000 in grant funds was awarded to five local nonprofits, including VCCDC, Women’s Economic Ventures, the Ventura County Community Foundation, the Red Cross and FOOD Share. The remaining $500,000 will be distributed to nonprofits in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties over the course of the year as plans and programs are developed to address current and emerging community needs.
VCCDC plans to use the funds it was awarded to provide individual grants of up to $1,000 for households affected by the disasters. Applicants must be residents of Ventura County or Santa Barbara County and must demonstrate a financial loss due to the fire and/or mudslides. The funds will be given directly to the applicant to be used for existing needs ranging from housing to living expense needs caused by loss of wages or business losses caused by disasters. There are no income or household size limits. One grant per eligible household or business will be awarded. Additional criteria and requirements apply.
The application, document requirements, eligibility criteria and submission details can be found at www.vccdc.org/wfgrant starting at 10 a.m. Monday. Applications will be accepted until all qualified recipients have been identified.
For more information, contact Keily Victoria, administration support manager for VCCDC, at 805-273-7800 or kvictoria@vccdc.org.