GENERAL RESOURCES
CITY OF LOS ALTOS COVID-19 RESOURCE PAGE – continually updated information about Los Altos measures to deal with the COVID-19 emergency and resources available to residents
LOS ALTOS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE – lots of information for and about local businesses and ways for residents to help local businesses; local grocery store information
SILICON VALLEY STRONG - information about staying safe, financial help, mental health, help for seniors, help for families, and how to help your neighbor
SERENO GROUP - COVID-19 Health Information, Financial and Mortgage Assistance, Government Resources, Homeschooling Resources, Kid Activities, Music/Arts, Exercise, Meditation, Stay Connected, Support your local business: Rally for Restaurants – support your local restaurants
STATE OF CALIFORNIA COVID-19 INFORMATION – lots of information about how to stay healthy, for businesses and employers, workers, taxes, education, housing and homelessness
ONWARD CALIFORNIA - if you have lost your job, this site provides information from the State of California about services, retraining, and finding your next job
EDUCATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT RESOURCES
LOS ALTOS LIBRARY – lots of online books, movies, documentaries, children’s programs and COVID-19 safety information
COMPANIES OFFERING FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS TO CHILDRENS’ ONLINE PROGRAMS – companies like Scholastic, Khan Academy, Math Games, Beanstalk, HippoCampus, and many more are offering free subscriptions to educational programs during the COVID-19 emergency
TWO ARTISTS FIND WAYS TO KEEP KIDS BUSY – two artists in San Francisco are providing fun classes for kids to stay busy with art projects
EXPLORATORIUM – educational classes for children
FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE
COMMUNITY SERVICES AGENCY – help for seniors, homeless and emergency assistance
IRS INFORMATION – information about Economic Impact Payments and tax deadline changes
INFORMATION ABOUT UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS - information about special unemployment benefits available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”), which President Trump signed into law on March 27, 2020
INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO APPLY FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS - step-by-step help for filing for unemployment benefits
INFORMATION ABOUT CORONAVIRUS ECONOMIC STIMULUS CHECKS – what you need to do to get checks
INFORMATION ABOUT SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION LOANS UNDER CARES ACT – information about how which small businesses are eligible and how they can get loans
INFORMATION ABOUT STATE OF CALIFORNIA PROGRAMS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES - companies with less than $5 million in taxable assets can now defer up to $50,000 in sales and use tax payments interest free for a year. Businesses can also qualify for up to $10 million in loans if they continue to pay their employees during the coronavirus outbreak.
PG&E – information about utility bill assistance program, relief, medical necessity customers PG&E – information about utility bill assistance program, relief, medical necessity customers
HEALTH/WELLNESS RESOURCES
HOW TO GET TESTED FOR COVID-19 – information from California Department of Public Health on getting tested for COVID-19 at this time
SUTTER HEALTH – information about symptoms, what to do if you are sick, regularly scheduled doctor appointments, how Sutter Health is handling patients and keeping them safe
KAISER PERMANENTE – lots of information about how to protect yourself and get care
EXPLORATORIUM – excellent video about how soap inactivates the coronavirus
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE – resources to help domestic abuse victims
THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE - Advice for staying safe during COVID-19. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available at 1-800-799-7233 and through chat. To create a safety plan, visit: Staying Safe During COVID-19.
Next Door Solutions’ 24-hour hotline at 408-279-2962 for obtaining food and basic needs, legal assistance and emergency shelter.
YMCA Silicon Valley at 800-572-2782 for immediate crisis assistance.
For legal services, the Silicon Valley Law Foundation can be reached at 408-280-2416.
If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
INTERNATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HELP CENTERS - A global list of international help centers and organizations for women all over the world. Many victims do not know where to find help and their friends and family also do not know how to help, especially if the victim is in another country.
ALCOHOLREHABGUIDE.ORG - an organization that focuses on producing high quality substance abuse and recovery content that remains active in spite of the pandemic.
ALCOHOLHELP - an organization that provides outpatient rehab for substance abuse.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS – Santa Clara County Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous offers online AA meetings
COVID-19 AND DRUG REHAB - Their website organizes various other topics of addiction recovery and can connect with treatment options around Santa Clara County.
DRUG ADDICTION – California Bridge to Treatment information about drug addiction.
SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE - 1-800-273-8255 – help for those suffering from the effects of the lockdown
CHILD MIND INSTITUTE – Supporting Families During COVID-19, Facebook Live video chats with expert clinicians, remote evaluations and telemedicine, daily tip for parenting via email
HOW TO TALK TO CHILDREN ABOUT COVID-19 – tips for helping children understand why they are quarantined
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS Helping Children Cope with Changes Resulting from COVID-19 – tips for coping with the COVID-19 emergency and helping your children
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC – How to keep kids mentally healthy during the COVID-19 emergency
Mental Health resources
NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS – SANTA CLARA COUNTY – mental health support The Warmline staff will continue to provide support to the community. Phone: Call us at 408-453-0400 option 1, Monday through Friday, 10:00am to 6:00pm
NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS – FaithNet Santa Clara County – Wellness and Resource Support – Eviction/housing, utilities/water, telecommunication companies, internet, self-care and connection
COPING WITH STRESS DURING INFECTIOUS DISEASE OUTBREAKS – mental health support for those dealing with very stressful conditions during the COVID-19 emergency
MENTAL HEALTH AND SELF-CARE RESOURCES Taking care of yourself is a necessity: Even if you enjoy helping other people, you can’t properly give love and assistance to others unless your own mental health needs are met. That’s why we should check in with ourselves mentally. Self-care is just as important.
MANAGING ANXIETY – site offers daily mantras to help with managing anxiety, write in mental health questions, calming online distractions, parenting tips, isolation help and more
COMMUNITY HEALTH AWARENESS COUNCIL - tips for parenting during shelter-in-place, reducing anxiety, and staying healthy
MEDITATION APPS – apps for meditation to help with anxiety
social resources
INSTITUTE ON AGING -800-971-0016 - 24 hour friendship hotline. It is for 60+, disabled adults, and people feeling isolated.
WEAVERS COMMUNITY DURING CRISIS – ideas for connecting with your neighbors – acts of kindness
FAITH-BASED RESOURCES
RELIGIOUS ONLINE SERVICES – information about online/live streaming religious services for different faiths
3 MINUTE RESIDENT SURVEY RESULTS
We conducted a survey recently of residents to help Los Altos City government understand if we have any unmet needs.
LOS ALTOS RESIDENTS
COMPILATION OF COVID-19 RESOURCES
We sent invitations to take our survey to the voter registrar list of 7,500 emails on April 1st and 7th. We had 365 responses to our survey of 19 questions completed, including many anecdotal comments.
We found these were the top responses. A somewhat small but significant number of resident respondents were concerned about:
Safety in their home.
Getting access to medical supplies, care and testing.
Assistance getting groceries or prepared foods.
Seniors having an ability to join a group call or online meeting.
Additionally, a number of the anecdotal responses support the above messages. The need for feeling safe in our homes was commented on frequently, as well as stories about individuals specific medical needs that are hardships, such as a 35 week old pregnant woman and what her options are.
We have sent these results along with the raw data to the Los Altos City Council and city manager Chris Jordan. Along with that we sent our recommendations for communicating resources to address some of these needs. These include sending post cards to all residents with information and a city phone number to call for further information that might not be accessible to those residents who dont use computers frequently, and to reach out to local newspapers PA Daily and the Town Crier for posting the city's resource list and a city phone number.
Thank you to all who participated in our survey.