As multiple fires continue to ravage parts of Los Angeles County, one local nonprofit is working to help the outdoor workers who have been impacted.
Inclusive Action, a Boyle Heights-based economic justice organization that serves communities across L.A. County, has launched an emergency aid fund to give cash to eligible workers such as street vendors, gardeners and other people who had their “open-air” businesses interrupted.
“Street vendors, jardineros and recycle workers are in our neighborhoods picking up cans, and many of these people are elderly immigrants. So we’re starting here, and we want to help these folks, and hopefully we could raise enough resources to support them,” said Inclusive Action’s Chief Executive Officer Rudy Espinoza.
The organization opened applications for those affected Thursday evening, and by Friday morning, nearly 300 people had filed for assistance, Espinoza said.
Eligible workers who apply can receive assistance in the form of a one-time $500 payment on a first-come-first, first-served basis, as funds allow.
To be eligible for the cash assistance, workers must meet all of the following requirements:
- Live or work within 10 miles of an evacuation zone
- Primarily work outdoors (this includes street vendors, landscape workers, recyclers and more)
- Have a demonstrated loss of income, property or belongings due to the fires
Inclusive Action has long advocated for street vendors, micro-businesses and other low-income community members across Los Angeles. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization was able to raise and distribute nearly $1 million in emergency funds to 2,500 street vendors, according to Espinoza.
As the fires started this week, Espinoza said he and his team became very concerned for their livelihoods.
“A lot of these folks, you miss one day of work and you’re in big trouble. They’re really cutting it close to pay their bills,” Espinoza said.
Espinoza said applicants do not have to live in areas immediately affected by evacuations or closures but those who do will be prioritized on a first-come first-served basis. He also noted that those who are undocumented are also encouraged to apply as the application does not require detailed or sensitive information that would endanger them.
For street vendor Maria Estrada, it hurt to have to miss a day of sales from her pan dulce and agua frescas stand on Soto Street in Boyle Heights. But she acknowledged the health hazards of working outdoors and breathing in toxic air. In times like these, potential cash assistance for people like her would come in handy.
“It’s not healthy, and it’s going to affect our health, but we have to come out and work… It’s what we need to sustain ourselves, to survive,” Estrada said.
How to apply:
- Interested applicants can fill out the following form:
- Applications are open through 5 p.m. Jan. 17.
- Those who need it can get help applying in English and Spanish by calling (213) 435-1151.
- Once applications close, Inclusive Action would work to distribute payments in the coming weeks.
How to donate:
- Because the funding for the emergency cash assistance is donation-based, Inclusive Action asks community members and funders to donate to their GoFundMe to help support more outdoor workers.
