HI everyone - I have family that has lost everything in the Ventura fires and i am trying to be a resource for them. I already shared a one pager about the health effects of ash (Thank you for posting that, Karen!). Do you all have any suggestions for what they definitely need to do? (They lost everything). They have been in touch with insurance company (havent heard back yet) and are out looking for an apartment to rent.
Any must dos for them?
Thank you in advance!
Gail (formerly from Ventura)
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Dear Gail,
In our community, we set up a local assistance center as folks needed a one stop shop for rebuilding their lives. We turned an old warehouse into a giant "health fair" model where agencies set up booths and staff/volunteers guided families and individuals to the services they needed. We had FEMA, Social Security, DMV, Red Cross, Salvation Army, Permits Department, CalFresh and CalJobs, EDD, and insurance companies all under one roof.
Is there any chance Ventura can set this up for their residents? My friend Bethany helped to organize our center and may be willing to offer technical assistance if needed.
An invaluable resource in dealing with insurance companies is United Policy Holders: https://www.uphelp.org/ They have lots of documents to assist, and they keep track of the laws and what insurance companies are allowed- and not allowed to do.
