Sacramento County Gives $1,000 Payments To Families Affected By COVID-19

Community members in Sacramento have come together to support each other throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

The Sacramento County COVID-19 Collaborative, or Sac Collab, is working hard to provide community members and business owners with up-to-date information and resources as they navigate the pandemic.

With the county's federal CARES Act funding, the Sac Collab has been able to select residents for its financial assistance program.

Applicants are eligible to receive a one-time stipend between $1,000 and $3,000.

The program has been distributing $4 million worth of coronavirus relief to families since November.

"With the non-response in the early spring, now we find ourselves in a pivotal space - how do you create a safety net infrastructure for those vulnerable communities that can stop the immediate crisis of financial turmoil and COVID-19," Kindra Montgomery-Block of The Center at Sierra Health Foundation told The Sacramento Bee.

The Sac Collab is a community partnership supported by the Sacramento County Division of Public Health, The Center at Sierra Health Foundation, and other nonprofit, multi-ethnic community-based organizations in Sacramento.

With unemployment on the rise, the number of people who need financial assistance is far greater than current funds allow for, according to Kula Koening, director of community impact at United Way California Capital Region.

The Sac Collab hopes to give payments to at least 1,700 households.

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