Start 2021 Safely With Support from the Human Services Department

• Schedule a test for COVID-19 for free in Alameda County
• Get a flu shot for free this year - it might be the most important one you ever get
• Call 2-1-1 for personalized help connecting with health and human services programs
• Receive a notification of when a COVID-19 vaccine might be available for you.

Do you need healthcare? Sign up for Covered California before January 31, 2021! Covered California’s open-enrollment period is the one-time of the year when anyone eligible can sign up for healthcare coverage for 2021. Consumers can check their options and see if they qualify for financial help by using the Shop and Compare tool on the revamped CoveredCA.com. Here’s how to get help purchasing a healthcare plan:

• Visit www.CoveredCA.com.
• Get free and confidential in-person assistance, in a variety of languages, from a certified enroller.
• Have a certified enroller call you and help you for free.
• Call Covered California at (800) 300-1506.

In late 2020, the federal government approved a second round of stimulus checks -- this time $600 per eligible person and $600 per qualifying child. The Internal Revenue Service is now urging people to visit IRS.gov for the most current information on the second round of Economic Impact Payments rather than calling the agency or their financial institutions or tax software providers.

• You can check the status of your payment by using the following link: https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payments.
• If you didn’t get the full amount of that payment, you may be eligible to claim a Recovery Rebate Credit when you file your 2020 federal tax return.

On January 6th, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced two immediate action items in his 2021-22 State Budget proposal to help low-income Californians. First, the Golden State Stimulus would provide $600 rapid cash support directly to roughly four million low-income Californians. The state’s stimulus will also reach low-income Californians who are excluded from the federal stimulus, like undocumented households that file taxes with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), including parents with U.S. citizen children. Second, the Governor is calling for immediate action to protect more Californians from eviction by extending critical eviction protections enacted by AB 3088 and ensuring that California’s $2.6 billion share of federal rental assistance is distributed according to greatest need and with accountability. Under this proposal, California renters who are experiencing financial hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic and pay at least 25 percent of their monthly rent cannot be evicted for unpaid rent. Click here for more details on these proposals. For rental assistance in Oakland, check out these resources from the East Bay Housing Organizations.

The staff and families at the City of Oakland Head Start are once again proving their resilience. Due to the COVID-19 surge currently affecting Alameda County, the Oakland Head Start centers have closed once again for in-person classes. Teachers will instead be instructing the pre-K students remotely, using the distance learning skills they’ve cultivated since last March. Oakland Head Start centers were last open for in-person classes on December 18, before closing for the holidays and then remaining closed as COVID-19 cases rose. The tentative reopening range for Oakland Head Start centers is mid-February 2021 and is subject to change. Oakland Head Start has begun recruiting for enrollment for next year! Apply to Oakland Head Start here. For a comprehensive list of distance learning resources, look at this guide that Oakland Unified School District librarians have put together.