Need Help During the COVID-19 Outbreak in OC?
How to get help during the pandemic
If you are individual or family seeking help in Orange County, there are two ways to getting the help you need:
- If you’re working with a service provider already, please reach out to them.
- If you are not already working with a service provider, please contact 211. They will assess your personal situation and provide you with the best local health and human resources available to you.
How to contact 211OC
Reach out to the community helpline by dialing 211.
211OC is here to help you find free or low-cost health and human service programs in Orange County.
- Call by dialing 211
- Toll Free: 888-600-4357
- Information & Referral Specialists are available by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- For 2-way live texting, text your zip code to 898211. This service is available Monday-Friday 8:00 am-6:00 pm
Also, visit their website https://www.211oc.org/
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
Orange County COVID-19 Hotline
A new Orange County hotline is now available for all inquiries related to COVID-19. Call 1-833-426-6411, text OCCOVID19 to 888-777, or visit https://Covid19info.ocgov.com/.
Public Assistance Benefits
The County of Orange Social Services Agency (SSA) offers many benefits programs to help you and your family obtain food, employment, healthcare, and more. If you’d like to learn more about any of the following programs, check out recent info session recordings to learn about the benefits, who is eligible, and how to enroll. Available in English, Vietnamese, and Spanish.
- CalWORKS – provides temporary financial assistance and employment-related services to families with minor children.
- CalFresh (formerly known as Food Stamps) – established to improve the nutrition of people in low-income households by increasing their food-buying power so they can purchase nutritious food, such as fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods, for the members of their household.
- Emergency Child Care – children of essential workers may be eligible to enroll in subsidized emergency child care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- General Relief – a County-funded program that provides temporary cash aid to eligible indigent adult lawful residents who are ineligible for Federal or State programs.
- Medi-Cal – provides health coverage to those families with very low income, as well as pregnant women and the blind, among others.
Internet
Cox’s Connect2Compete Program: Cox is offering free of Connect2Compete service for qualifying families. For more information about this offer and if the service is available in your neighborhood, please visit Cox.com.
AT&T for OC Schools: AT&T is offering schools 60 days’ unlimited data for laptops, tablets, and hotspots, as well as free access to the Caribu video calling app.
Childcare
If you are looking for childcare resources in Orange County, Early Childhood OC has compiled a searchable database of currently open child care centers and family child care homes serving children aged birth-12. Click here to learn more.
CARES Act
Last week, Congress passed the CARES Act. This legislation provides temporary protections for many homeowners and renters suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic — but it’s not a one-size-fits-all policy rulebook.
- For 120 days starting March 27, 2020, landlords are prohibited from filing new eviction actions and charging late fees and penalties related to nonpayment of rent for those in federally-backed housing. You may want to visit the National Preservation Database or contact a local legal aid center to identify if you reside in a federally-backed dwelling.
- If you can’t make your mortgage payments because of the COVID-19 pandemic, start by understanding your options and reaching out for help. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has more info on mortgage relief.
Also under the CARES Act, as part of the government stimulus package, a one-time Economic Impact Payment of up to $1,200 will begin to be distributed in the coming weeks. For more information, please visit the IRS website.
Food Assistance
If you need food assistance during the pandemic, please check out the following resources.
- There are multiple resources for food assistance in Orange County for individuals, families, moms, babies, children under 5, school-aged kids, and seniors: Learn more in English or Spanish.
- If you get CalFresh, you may receive extra CalFresh benefits on your EBT card to help buy food in April and May. See flyer for more information.
Government COVID-19 Websites
U.S. Government
State of California
County of Orange
Public Health Information
California Department of Public Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Taxes
Internal Revenue Service
California Franchise Tax Board
Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector
Insurance and Health Care
California Department of Insurance
California Department of Health Care Services
Covered California
DMV, Housing, and Education
California Department of Motor Vehicles
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
California Department of Housing and Community Development
California Department of Education
Keep Education Going (State Senate resource for parents with young kids)
Small Business
U.S. Small Business Administration
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
California Employment Development Department
California Labor and Workforce Development Agency
Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development
National Small Business Administration
Orange County Business Council
Mental Health, Veterans, and Other Crisis Hotlines
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Veterans Crisis Line
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Admin. Disaster Distress Helpline
This Post Has 13 Comments
Comments are closed.
Need help ASAP!
Hi Shazavier, Thank you for writing to us. We are very sorry to hear about your situation. In order to offer the best resources to assist you, please call/email 2-1-1 OC. They will ask you questions to learn more about your specific situation so you can get the right resources.
Phone number: Dial 2-1-1
Email: info@211oc.org
Website: https://www.211oc.org/get-help.html
Good morning my name is lisa aldridge and I am just simply wanted to know if I can get help to pay my back rent due to the Covid virus I’ve been out of work from March 20 and I’m a little behind in my rent because I also had the Covid so can someone please reach out to me at your earliest convenience because management is coming down on me so hard please help me if you can my phone number is 718-216-9534 thank you and you have a blessed weekend
Hi Lisa, Thank you for writing to us. We are very sorry to hear about your situation. In order to offer the best resources to assist you, please call/email 2-1-1 OC. They will ask you questions to learn more about your specific situation so you can get the right resources.
Phone number: Dial 2-1-1
Email: info@211oc.org
Website: https://www.211oc.org/get-help.html
I’m a working disabled person, living in a motel in Santa Ana for over 12 years with 3 heart attacks
, untreated heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure
And Chronic debilitating neck pain with migraines.
I have been denied unemployment benefits because I’m am so poor I did not have “extra money” pay into the unemployment fund. Says OC EDD appeals court judge GARRET in La Palma California.
I am dead with out help.
Hi Stan, Thank you for writing to us. We are sorry to hear about your situation. In order to offer the best resources to assist you, please call/email 2-1-1 OC. They will ask you questions to learn more about your specific situation so you can get the right resources.
Phone number: Dial 2-1-1
Email: info@211oc.org
Website: https://www.211oc.org/get-help.html
Hi my name is Richard I’ve been homeless since August I’m looking for a place to live it would be highly appreciated if someone could help me out in finding a place to live as of now I’m living in my car! It would appreciated if someone could help me out in finding a place to live! Thank you, God bless!
Hi Richard, Thank you for writing to us. We are sorry to hear about your situation. In order to offer the best resources to assist you, please call/email 2-1-1 OC. They will ask you questions to learn more about your specific situation so you can get the right resources.
Phone number: Dial 2-1-1
Email: info@211oc.org
Website: https://www.211oc.org/get-help.html
Hi my name is Timothy Page I’m a disabled senior last year at this time I was just a couple of days away from being homeless I finally found a place to stay, since the pandemic I have lost over a $1000 in income I’m behind in my rent I don’t know how long it will be before my car is repossessed and after borrowing from everybody to get it fixed, after trying to slip up my ssdi between rent and other bills and food I’m really at my breaking point after going through the 211 resources and pretty much begging for for some type of help only to hear I don’t qualify has been totally depressing and my girlfriend that was trying to help me whenever she could has lost her income I just don’t know how much longer I can hold on to this Mary go round
Good evening my name is Sarina Lovato and I am just simply wanted to know if I can get help to pay my back rent & DP&L due to the Covid virus I’ve been out of work from March 20 and I’m a little behind in my rent because I also had the Covid so can someone please reach out to me at your earliest convenience because office man & Dp&l is coming down on me so hard please help me if you can my phone number is 9376822638.
Hi Sarina, Thank you for writing to us. We are sorry to hear about your situation. In order to offer the best resources to assist you, please call/email 2-1-1 OC. They will ask you questions to learn more about your specific situation so you can get the right resources.
Phone number: Dial 2-1-1
Email: info@211oc.org
Website: https://www.211oc.org/get-help.html
Good afternoon my name is Fermina Espain I’m writing to you guys to see if you guys could help me pay my rent I been out of work since March and I’m back up I my rent since August and I also had COVID and my pregnant and my son and also had COVID and i have 3 kids and I want to see if you guys could reach out to me to help me my number is 3233861906 so to hear from you guys soon
Hi Fermina, Thank you for writing to us. We are sorry to hear about your situation. In order to offer the best resources to assist you, please call/email 2-1-1 OC. They will ask you questions to learn more about your specific situation so you can get the right resources.
Phone number: Dial 2-1-1
Email: info@211oc.org
Website: https://www.211oc.org/get-help.html