FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 17, 2020
MEDIA CONTACT:
Paul Eakins
Public Affairs Information Officer
(714) 647-5224
[email protected]
SANTA ANA, Calif. – The City of Santa Ana today launched the Santa Ana CARES initiative to provide a broad range of health and financial assistance to residents, businesses and non-profits affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Santa Ana CARES is funded by $28.6 million in federal CARES Act money that was allocated through the State budget. The Santa Ana City Council voted unanimously on Aug. 4, 2020, to allocate the funds for the various programs.
Qualified members of the Santa Ana community can now apply for many of the new support programs. Santa Ana CARES includes $8 million in direct monetary assistance and other measures, among them:
• Free COVID-19 testing for Santa Ana residents by appointment on Saturdays and Sundays at Santa Ana College;
• $1,500 rental assistance grants for tenants;
• A landlord assistance program that helps pay back rent that is owed;
• Grants of up to $10,000 for businesses and non-profits, including grants specifically designated for restaurants and bars;
• Up to $50,000 for arts-related non-profit organizations;
• Up to $1,000 for individual artists;
• Utility bill payment assistance of up to $500 for those with delinquent bills;
• Isolation assistance to provide hotel rooms for families who have a member of the household diagnosed with COVID-19;
• Child care assistance for workers;
• Additional sanitization of public facilities including bus shelters, playgrounds and park fitness equipment.
A key component of the program is a Mobile Resource Center that over several weeks will visit dozens of the City’s most densely populated neighborhoods whose residents are at high risk of coronavirus transmission. The Mobile Resource Center will provide information on assistance programs, free COVID-19 testing, and free masks and health supplies.
The City is providing a COVID-19 hotline to help the community access these assistance programs and will soon have a nurse hotline that Santa Ana residents can call with health questions 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Both hotlines offer assistance in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.
Information on all of the assistance programs and other pandemic resources and updates is at www.santa-ana.org/CARES.
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