Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund: COVID-19 Response

About

Due to the need to limit social engagement to slow down and reduce the spread of COVID-19, our county partners have informed us of an increase in applications for assistance. Musicians face canceled gigs. Office support staff are facing a reduction in hours as more knowledge workers move to teleworking. Restaurant workers are not making the tips they need to make ends meet. Theater performances are being canceled and actors, stagehands and crew are impacted. It is still the middle of March, but many hourly workers and gig workers throughout the Bay Area already know that they will not be able to pay their April rent. That’s where we come in, to help prevent our neighbors from being evicted and risking becoming homeless.

Every dollar counts:
$2,500 pays for a month of rent for a family of four that must self-quarantine and where the parents are wage earners who cannot work from home.

$1,500 covers a month of rent on a 1-bedroom apartment for a single parent who has to stay home to take care of a child due to school closures.

$1,000 pays for a studio apartment for a veteran whose place of employment is temporarily or permanently closed.

$500 covers a month of meals for three children who can no longer access free lunch at school.

$250 covers a utility bill so a family can keep the lights on for a month, even when the parents’ hours have been drastically cut back.

About the Host

Since 1986, the Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund has distributed $138 million to help thousands of Bay Area families. The Fund offers grants to help families in crisis so they can pay for housing and emergency needs. Through a network of 150 community service agencies, the Fund works to identify families in need and provide short-term, critical assistance grants.