The County of Sonoma and City of Santa Rosa are working with state and federal partners to provide safe, immediate, transitional, and long-term housing to assist residents who were displaced by the recent tragic fires and stabilize the immediate housing crisis faced by residents. It is estimated that nearly 5,000 residential units were destroyed in the fires. At their meeting today, the Board of Supervisors approved leasing 80 existing Recreational Vehicle (RV) spaces at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds to house Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Temporary Housing Units. In addition, 120 RV spaces will be developed and leased in the coming weeks.
“It is critical that we provide transitional housing for our neighbors who have been so drastically affected by this historic tragedy,” commented Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Shirlee Zane. “During times like these, we look to our compassionate and resilient Sonoma County Strong community to come together to support our neighbors and welcome them to their new homes while they begin the process of rebuilding.”
FEMA transitional housing units will provide temporary housing to displaced residents for at least the next 18 months. FEMA oversees the management of enrollment of individuals into these housing solutions.
Residents who have been displaced by the fires are encouraged to go to the Local Assistance Center (LAC) to access services for disaster relief, including housing assistance. The LAC is open daily from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, with the last entry at 6:00 PM, at the Press Democrat building in downtown Santa Rosa at 427 Mendocino Avenue.