Teams of specialists have begun matching fire survivors with all kinds of help they might have been unaware of and assisting survivors though depression, crisis and navigating FEMA paperwork.
There’s help out there if you need it. That’s the bottom line. Officials from the California Children and Families Commission have sent 20 caseworkers to assist Butte County fire survivors.
“The benefit of having case managers is that they’re connected to the different resources and then they can help fire survivors identify what works for them.” said Butte County spokeswoman Casey Hatcher.
Hatcher said that includes both official, federal, state and local aid, along with goods and services available from volunteers, religious groups, charities and companies.
“So maybe they are still in need of housing, or potentially they have a mental health need, or maybe they need clothing or transportation, something like this. So, these case managers are really there to work with them, to walk them through the process and to connect them to resources that may be available.” Hatcher said.
Employment assistance is also available, particularly matching locals with clean-up and rebuilding jobs, along with help obtaining so-called disaster unemployment benefits.
Hatcher said housing and some form of counseling or psychiatric care have been most in demand. She said Kaiser Permanente, the Oakland-based health plan and provider has sent mental health practitioners to the area locally through May, providing services for free.
To learn about what is available and get help, call 211 and ask about case management.
*This story has been corrected. The original version stated that Kaiser Permanente had sent 20 mental health practitioners to Butte County. It is 20 caseworkers that have been sent to the area.