List of Resources for Los Angeles County
Food Availability (not stores & restaurants)
LA Food Bank has a resource to find your local food pantry.
Many SoCal public schools (Links to an external site.) are offering free breakfast and lunch. I'm not sure if there are age restrictions on who can get the meals. LAUSD in particular has opened 60 Grab-n-Go centers (Links to an external site.) where families with school aged children can pick up two meals per day for their kids.
Free internet and removed data caps
(As of 10 am on Wednesday, March 18, the following information is accurate. I do not endorse any of these companies. These internet providers are providing some sort of free or reduced cost internet access or increased data)
Comcast (Links to an external site.) is offering free access Xfinity hotspots, no data caps for customers, no disconnects or late fees for customers, internet essentials plans for free to new customers who qualify as low-income, educational plans for families with school aged children at home, etc. Comcast coverage in SoCal seems to be limited, but I know some students are located outside of LA.
Charter Communications (Links to an external site.) is offering free internet access for 60 days to households with k-12 or college students. In LA, I think the company is affiliated with Spectrum.
Verizon (Links to an external site.) is waiving late fees for residential customers, waiving activation fees for new customers, and offering free international calling to CDC level 3 countries.
T-Mobile (Links to an external site.) is providing unlimited data for the next 60 days for all current customers and will provide additional data to mobile hotspot users, offers free international calling to CDC level 3 countries.
AT&T (Links to an external site.) public wifi hotspots are open to anyone, broadband usage caps are suspended for home-based internet plans, some services won't be terminated for inability to pay and late fees for them will be waived, and an Access from AT&T program is available for $10/month to low-income families.
Water and Gas
(As of 10 am on Wednesday, March 18, the following information is accurate.)
LADWP (Links to an external site.) has deferred water and power disconnections through the end of March. Customers impacted by covid19 can request extended payment plans online. There is not threat to the quality of drinking water.
SoCalGas (Links to an external site.) has temporarily suspended service disconnects - even if you've received a 48 hour disconnect notice - for customers unable to pay their bill. No end date on this suspension is given. Customers can also request special payment plan.
Los Angeles community resources:
A link to resources for people who are undocumented:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/18p9OSlLpSYanIoUC-gEbhVbRMYVUfw4wyrixa9ekGdc/htmlview?fbclid=IwAR25yXQz21jkLBFpYKsgem1M41z2wx28UVSqTVosGFToc7dcZnadWxr2JkE&sle&urp=gmail_linkMental health resources:
https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/03/20/coronavirus-tips-for-protecting-your-mental-health-during-quarantine.html?fbclid=IwAR2j2Y4CSIXx8KdJt_ybnDfZL8OvEIT9YyeXnhxPygyrio5hLC-SbIvVO3kIdeas for connection and co-working in a virtual environment:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pQooT8fad-sWk-QcFpLq1XvRtjX8A885JUpXARjHSnk/edit
Funding Sources
From this site (live links on the site):
https://laist.com/2020/03/20/where_to_get_financial_assistance_food_and_more_during_the_coronavirus.php
- The Jewish Free Loan Association is offering interest-free and fee-free loans that can be turned around in a matter of days to folks impacted by coronavirus, for anything from everyday expenses to childcare to lost wages. You do not need to be Jewish to apply.
- The USBG National Charity Foundation is offering loans to bartenders who may be out of work.
- Here is a list of resources for freelance artists.
- One Fair Wage is offering cash assistance to service workers and tipped workers.
- Restaurants Care is offering grants for restaurant workers who have tested positive for COVID-19 or who have been quarantined.
- Children of Restaurant Employees is offering funds to restaurant workers who have tested positive for COVID-19 and have children at home.
- Americans for the Arts has a lengthy list of places offering funding and grants for artists.
- The National Domestic Workers Alliance has set up a fund for in-home care workers, nannies and house cleaners.
- Savi and Student Debt Crisis are offering help to folks who are having trouble paying their student loans because of the coronavirus' impact to their income.
Gov. Gavin Newsom is also encouraging people whose jobs have been affected by the coronavirus outbreak to apply for unemployment or disability. And the federal government recently passed a bill requiring employers to pay sick leave and family leave. Read our guide on that here
These resources are not endorsed by the UCLA American Indian Studies Center. We are only providing information to external resources.