SF/Bay Area Mutual Aid: Covid19 Support
In the midst of Covid-19, we are all feeling the immediate impacts. Shelter-in-place, school closures, business closures, hospitals stressed with hundreds of new cases to treat.
As the city works tirelessly to come up with solutions, it is clear that the most vulnerable are still at an even higher risk. Mutual Aid networks (whether you call yourself that or not!) are popping up all over the bay to make sure we are all going to be okay. This is an unprecedented time, and the best way for us to make it through is to work together.
This fund is being created to support Mutual Aid networks. What is mutual aid? It is a decentralized network of individuals working together to support the greater community, recognizing that we all have value and our capacities ebb and flow. We believe in solidarity, not charity.
We have multiple priorities, but our first priority is to support those who are most vulnerable right now. This includes:
The houseless community who cannot shelter-in-place and have even fewer resources now, the undocumented who may experience more fear to receive medical treatment and receive services, the sick and the elderly, and prison populations who face dangerous and crowded conditions without access to proper treatment facilities.
Our second priority is to support those who have become economically unstable due to job loss. Many people working in the service industry, the arts, etc., are living paycheck to paycheck. The extreme disruption to work creates anxiety and real consequences as bills still have to be paid. We'd like to prevent more houselessness and instead create a sense of community care!
These funds will be dispersed to mutual aid networks and people working on the frontlines of this crisis.
What will that look like?
Currently we have a wide network, including people and contacts at multiple organizations that work to support the unsheltered community. Many are individuals who work at an organization, or volunteer, or are friends of those people. Some organizations we will be supporting who are doing amazing work include Project Open Hand, Coalition for the Homeless, Mother Brown, Care Through Touch, Sunrise Movement and many more.
Some things we have been doing include salvaging food from multiple restaurant closures, getting that food to individuals to cook, or shelters with capacity to cook, and distribute to the unsheltered. Organizing tent pick ups from donation and drop offs. Make and distribute care kits which would include basic sanitation needs, food, and necessities for parents. We also have organized people cooking meals and distributing to families who are in houses but depend on school lunch program or social services that are very strained. We also check our needs list (posted below) where individuals can share what they need and if/when we can meet that need we will be able to fulfill it. The list goes on, and it will continue to go on with your support!!
Until more permanent solutions are up and running, every day we can be out there filling the gaps can provide essential and life saving care to the most vulnerable. THANK YOU for your support.
If you have a need, please fill out this form:
SF/Bay Area Needs/Offer Form
Needs List Form
If you have any questions, contact me at [email redacted] and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
