Kaiser Permanente gives $1 million to crisis counseling for Sonoma County fire survivors

A program that provides crisis counseling to local residents affected by last year’s devastating wildfires has received a $1 million grant from Kaiser Permanente, county officials said Wednesday.

The funding will allow the program’s counselors and outreach staff to continue their work beyond December, when funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency runs out.

The program, known as California HOPE, was launched this spring to address mental health issues related to the Tubbs, Pocket and Nuns fires, which killed 24 people and destroyed 7,004 structures. The Tubbs fire alone destroyed 4,655 homes, mostly in Santa Rosa.

Local mental health professionals say the historic disaster has led to unprecedented levels of post-traumatic stress, anxiety and other mental health issues among local residents, especially those who suffered the loss of a home or loved one.

The HOPE program is fashioned in accordance with FEMA’s Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program, a short-term disaster relief grant made available after the president declares a major disaster. The grants are designed to support community-based outreach, counseling and other mental health services to disaster survivors.

County officials described HOPE, which stands for Helping Outreach Possibilities Empowering, as a field-based program that seeks to engage fire survivors in various settings, including their homes, work or community events.

Officials said there is a great need for counseling services. In the past three months, HOPE outreach workers have averaged about 1,000 contacts a month with fire survivors.

The program, which is managed by county health services staff, utilizes four health and social services agencies to ensure that counseling is available throughout the county. The providers are the Council on Aging, Goodwill Industries, Petaluma People Services Center and West County Community Services.

Wendy Wheelwright, the HOPE program’s project manager, said in a statement that the additional funding will allow the program to continue “well into the next calendar year.”

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com.