Tag Archive: media

1. Latinos on the COVID-19 Front Lines: Congress Must Provide Relief

   May 12, 2020 5:00 pm Comments Off on Latinos on the COVID-19 Front Lines: Congress Must Provide Relief

   Video by: UnidosUS

   The Latino community is on the front lines in this crisis. We continue to show up to work in our nation’s hospitals, supermarkets, farms, and businesses large and small. At the same time, we are disproportionately being impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic.

   The April Jobs Report revealed the highest Latino unemployment rate on record. Rising to 18.9%, substantially higher than the national rate of 14.7%. Read the UnidosUS analysis of April’s Jobs Report here: https://bit.ly/LatinoJobsReport

2. San Rafael outlines Wi-Fi plan for Canal area

   May 11, 2020 5:00 pm Comments Off on San Rafael outlines Wi-Fi plan for Canal area

   Marin IJ News Article by Will Houston

   San Rafael has released a plan for a community Wi-Fi network in the Canal area to address longstanding digital inequities that have become more glaring since the coronavirus outbreak.

   Omar Carrera, executive director of the Latino immigrant and family services nonprofit organization Canal Alliance, said the plan is the first major step taken by the city since he began pitching a more expansive broadband program for the Canal area 15 years ago.

   While the new Wi-Fi plan does not reach the scale of his vision to serve 10,000 residents with community-catered services, Carrera said it would begin to address the existing “crisis within a crisis.” Read rest of this article on Marin IJ.

   

3. ‘People are really suffering’: Black and Latino communities help their own amid coronavirus crisis

   May 9, 2020 6:00 pm Comments Off on ‘People are really suffering’: Black and Latino communities help their own amid coronavirus crisis

   USA Today News Article by: Deborah Barfield Berry

   As the coronavirus outbreak continues to take its toll on black and Latino communities, black and Latino churches, advocacy groups and civil rights activists have ramped up efforts to help their own, filling in gaps where they say the federal government and even some local governments have fallen short.

   In California, Canal Alliance has been giving out food and masks every Tuesday to about 500 families in Marin County since March. Before the outbreak, it distributed food to about 250 families on Tuesdays.

   Omar Carrera, CEO of the nonprofit community-based organization, said the need was clear. People the group served — mostly low-income Latino families and immigrants — needed money to buy basics like medicine, food and diapers. Many worked in lower-paying jobs, including landscaping, childcare, construction, restaurants and retail.

   So Canal Alliance launched a fundraising drive aiming to collect $50,000. It raised more than $2 million. Throughout April, the group distributed the first $500,00 to more than 1,500 families. Most got a check for $350. The next distribution of $800,000 is expected this month, with each family getting $600.

   “We were really giving the power to people to make that decision’’ about what they needed, Carrera said. “The gap in our community was access to cash.” Read rest of this article on USA Today.

   

4. Marin Voice: Civil legal services focused on sheltering an at-risk community

   1:00 pm Comments Off on Marin Voice: Civil legal services focused on sheltering an at-risk community

   Marin IJ News Article by: Stephanie Haffner

   Civil legal services are an unseen but essential part of the safety net fabric in this time of COVID-19.

   

   For 62 years, Legal Aid of Marin has served vulnerable members of the Marin community — seniors, immigrants, people without homes, people with disabilities and the 19,183 people living in Marin County who are poor. In the last six weeks, I was more convinced than ever that civil legal services are imperative for our community’s health and safety.

   Now, we are jointly running Facebook ads with Canal Alliance, using animation Legal Aid of Marin created, to give a simple explanation of renter rights. We continue to hand-deliver tenant information sheets to North Marin Community Services, Canal Alliance, SF-Marin Food Bank, West Marin Community Services and San Geronimo Community Center. When we tweeted about it, Multicultural Center of Marin tweeted back a request to deliver flyers, which we accepted. Read rest of this article on Marin IJ.

5. Marin mailers aim to increase census participation

   May 4, 2020 5:00 pm Comments Off on Marin mailers aim to increase census participation

   Marin IJ News Article by: Adrian Rodriguez

   Marin residents who have not yet participated in the 2020 census will soon be receiving a final mail reminder from the U.S. Census Bureau.

   In the past decade, Marin County has lost an estimated $78 million it could have received in federal funding because of undercounting, according to the Canal Alliance, one of the organizers of the Marin census.

   Drumm said it’s important to note that partners such as the Canal Alliance run campaigns of their own that are separate from the Census Bureau. Those partners may still continue to send census information to residents in their networks. Read rest of this article on Marin IJ.

   

6. Coronavirus Update: Marin County Health Officials Opening Test Site In San Rafael’s Canal Neighborhood

   May 3, 2020 5:00 pm Comments Off on Coronavirus Update: Marin County Health Officials Opening Test Site In San Rafael’s Canal Neighborhood

   CBSN Bay Area News Article

   SAN RAFAEL (CBS SF) — In the latest expansion of coronavirus testing facilities, Marin County health officials have announced they will be opening a site on Monday in San Rafael’s Canal neighborhood.

   Testing will be free and by appointment only, with priority for essential workers and people experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. There will be multilingual staff available to assist with appointment booking and testing.

   “This partnership with the county will provide more equitable access to testing and care,” said Omar Carrera, Chief Executive Officer of the nonprofit Canal Alliance, in a statement. “Anyone who needs COVID-19 testing or medical treatment should feel comfortable to seek help and should not be fearful of the outcome. People who test positive will get the support they need during this challenging time.” Read rest of this article on CBSN Bay Area

   

7. Marin County to offer free virus testing in San Rafael Canal area

   May 1, 2020 5:00 pm Comments Off on Marin County to offer free virus testing in San Rafael Canal area

   Marin IJ News Article by: Matthew Pera

   Marin County is set to open a free coronavirus testing site next week in San Rafael’s Canal neighborhood as part of a state initiative to expand virus testing in underserved communities.

   “Anyone who needs COVID-19 testing or medical treatment should feel comfortable to seek help and should not be fearful of the outcome,” said Omar Carrera, chief executive officer for the nonprofit Canal Alliance, in a statement.

   Coronavirus testing in Marin is also available through most medical providers, a county-run drive-thru testing site in San Rafael that requires a doctor’s recommendation, two mobile testing units, and a new site established this week in Marin City, officials said. Read rest of this article on Marin IJ.

8. For Marin’s Latino communities, pandemic intensifies poverty

   April 25, 2020 6:00 pm Comments Off on For Marin’s Latino communities, pandemic intensifies poverty

   Marin IJ News Article by: Lorenzo Morotti

   Many Latino families in the county were already living paycheck to paycheck before the pandemic. Now they are feeling the brunt of the economic slowdown. Nonprofits are stepping in to help, but they too face struggles for resources.

   Another nonprofit organization partnered with the county is the Canal Alliance, which offers financial and legal aid. Lucia Martel-Dow, director of immigration and social services, said while there has not been a huge number of Latinos infected with the virus, the “shelter in place” order has had an impact on the Canal community and others like it.

   To provide some relief, the Canal Alliance provided a $350 check to more than 1,000 residents who applied before March 31, Martel-Dow said. The organization is working to expand the program. Read rest of this article on Marin IJ.

   

9. Marin food pantries face demand surge in pandemic

   April 20, 2020 6:00 pm Comments Off on Marin food pantries face demand surge in pandemic

   Marin IJ News Article by: Richard Halstead

   The number of people turning to food pantries in San Rafael and Novato has doubled, and community organizations say they’re having a hard time distributing the food while maintaining social distancing.

   Lucia Martel-Dow, Canal Alliance’s director of immigration and social services, said the number of people getting food from at the organizations Tuesday food pantry has doubled from 250 to 500, and they sometimes run out of food. The organization is also delivering food to another 90 households.

   “I don’t think we can provide food to more people than that due to the logistical challenges,” Martel-Dow said.

   Martel-Dow said while all the food now has to be packed in advance, Canal Alliance has lost many of its volunteers because they are at high risk due to their age. Marin County employees have been pitching in to fill the gap. Read rest of this article on Marin IJ.

   

10. Marin Community Foundation virus grants top $10M

    April 15, 2020 6:00 pm Comments Off on Marin Community Foundation virus grants top $10M

    Marin IJ News Article by: Richard Halstead

    The Marin Community Foundation says it has donated more than $10 million to help local organizations respond to the coronavirus emergency.

    

    The nonprofit grant recipients include Adopt A Family of Marin, Community Action Marin, North Bay Community Services, West Marin Community Services, Canal Alliance, Homeward Bound, Ritter Center, Whistlestop and the Marin Center for Independent Living.

    Read rest of this article on Marin IJ.

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