Story by Dani Burlison For more than 50 years Sonoma County’s Council on Aging has provided valuable support to the region’s older adults. Of the many services they offer, the Meals on Wheels delivery program is an essential part of keeping one of our most vulnerable...
Story by Dani Burlison, Photos by Erik Castro On the afternoon of April 22, New Jersey native Tom Singerline made his way through Dry Creek Valley on his way home to Santa Rosa. Singerline, who owns and operates Jersey Tom Wine Country Tours, was emotional as he listened...
Healdsburg Forever our a regional affiliate has recently made emergency grants totaling $80,000 to six nonprofit organizations providing essential safety net services—food, shelter, and health care—to the most vulnerable people in Healdsburg and Geyserville. The grants to Redwood Empire Food Bank, Healdsburg Food Pantry, Corazón...
Story by Dani Burlison, Photos by Erik Castro Since 1993 The Living Room has provided a safe place for unhoused women and their children to go during the day while overnight shelters are closed. In the early days, a mere handful of women dropped in, had...
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on local nonprofit organizations. Beyond our grantmaking work, Community Foundation Sonoma County offers educational resources for these nonprofits, which have been adapted for the current shelter in place orders. As we navigate the uncertainty together, we have...
When Amy Appleton’s children became teenagers in 2011, she decided to spend some of her newfound spare time volunteering. Although she had a background in IT, she found herself working with the county’s unhoused population at the COTS (Committee on the Shelterless) Mary Isaak Center...
Sometimes called granny flats, in-law units, second units, casitas, or backyard cottages, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) share several distinguishing features: they are 250 to 1,200 square feet and must have a kitchen or kitchenette, bathroom and sleeping area. ADUs are, by nature, affordable, helping seniors age...
If you ask anyone in Sonoma County what the top issues are facing this community, there’s a very good chance that housing tops that list. Of course, this would probably be true of many cities in California—a high cost of housing—and not enough of it...
Even with relatively few COVID-19 cases in Sonoma County so far, people are already suffering from the economic impacts of lost hours at work, and fears of a longer-term economic slowdown. Parents who have children in schools that are closing are struggling to find childcare...
UPDATE: this article was published before Sonoma County's social distancing and shelter in place. Humanidad continues to provide mental health services during this time, and are offering remote appointments with clients. When Isela Vigil lost her Santa Rosa home in the 2017 fires, anxiety and depression...