The following is information coming from the November 15 meeting of the Silicon Valley Sponsoring Committee, in which FCC’s Sponsoring Committee Ministry Team participated.
Over 50 community members joined us to discuss how the habits of organizing can prepare us for emergencies like COVID-19. We also looked ahead to workshops about the COVID Relief Act of 2020 (AB 3088) as well as continued relationship building within and beyond our institutions.
Here are some of the resources that were discussed:
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- Elaine Scarry’s book Thinking in an Emergency
- Keeping Families Housed during the Pandemic Workshop (AB 3088) on November 17.
- Temporary Job Opportunities for residents of San Mateo County who are eligible to work in the U.S. and lost work due to COVID-19. See the flyer from NOVAworks.
- Investing in our work: Our grassroots organization retains independence by self-funding our work through institutional and private investments. Make a tax-deductible donation to the work of Silicon Valley Sponsoring Committee.
Keeping Families Housed
COVID-19 has exacerbated the pre-pandemic housing crisis in Silicon Valley. On Friday, the San Jose Mercury News published a story on this issue: “Back rent in California nearing $1.7 billion, study finds.”
In response to this crisis, and to ward off a massive amount of evictions and homelessness, the legislature passed AB 3088, the COVID Tenant Relief Act of 2020, which protects from eviction tenants who can’t pay rent due to COVID, but tenants must take action to take advantage of these protections. Starting on February 1, 2021, tenants will owe all back rent.
Learn More about Community Organizing
One of the benefits of being involved with the Silicon Valley Sponsoring Committee is taking part in the trainings offered by our broader organizing network, the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF). From January 17 through 22, the IAF is offering online training taught by a team of experienced community organizers. The training will cover:
- Sustainable leadership
- Strategic thinking and acting
- Forming collaborative relationships for action, and more
The training will be taught using presentations, small-group discussions, role play, readings, and class participation. It is sponsored by the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. The course fee is $350. Register here.
Course hours:
Sunday: 3 to 5pm
Monday: 10am to 5pm
Tuesday: 10am to 7:30pm
Wednesday, Thursday: 10am to 5pm
Friday: 10am to 3pm