Storm Assistance for Immigrants (SAI)

Storm Assistance for Immigrants Project Overview

In response to the series of storms across California in December 2022 through April 2023, the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) is providing state-funded storm recovery services to provide disaster relief case management and direct assistance to eligible individuals who experienced hardship from the storms and cannot access federal assistance due to immigration status. Direct assistance payments will be provided for the purpose of helping storm impacted individuals and households cover certain necessary costs including housing, food, and transportation costs.

Storm recovery services are available in California counties where the President has issued a Major Disaster Declaration and approved Individual Assistance (IA) in those counties because of impact from the storms. Additional counties may be added as they receive IA declarations and if there is provider capacity to deliver services in those areas.

For more information about the SAI Project, please see the Frequently Asked Questions in (Chinese) (English) (Español) (Hmoob) (Mixtec) (Tagalog) (Triqui) (Zapotec)

Counties with Eligible Providers Delivering SAI Services

Individuals interested in applying for assistance can call the statewide toll-free SAI phone number at 866-724-2023 (866-SAI-2023) to be connected directly to the nearest provider. 

A list of the individual provider contact information included in the statewide number is also available in (Chinese) (English) (Español) (Hmoob) (Mixtec) (Tagalog) (Triqui) (Zapotec)

Bay Area

Central Coast

Central Valley

Inland Empire

Northern California

¹ Services in San Bernardino County are only available to those that were impacted (currently or formerly reside and/or work) in the following zip codes: 91759, 92305, 92314, 92315, 92321, 92322, 92325, 92333, 92339, 92341, 92352, 92372, 92378, 92382, 92385, 92386, 92391, 92397, 92317, 92399, 92359, 92407, 92404, 92392, 92344, and 92371.

Service Providers

CDSS has selected immigrant-serving nonprofit organizations operating in these counties to help individuals apply for and receive storm recovery direct assistance and services in their region.

CDSS selected local nonprofit organizations based on the following criteria: 1) ability and experience serving the impacted immigrant community, 2) experience delivering or administering social services to immigrant populations, and 3) capacity to provide the administrative and direct service requirements of the SAI project in various languages. The nonprofit organizations will provide language access through reliable in-person interpretation, document translation, and access to telephonic language services.

Service Period

The storm recovery services will be available in most counties during the month of June. The program will be available through May 31, 2024, or until all funds are expended. Assistance will be provided on a first come, first served basis to eligible individuals. Applicants may only seek assistance with the nonprofit organization(s) assigned to their county of residency or county in which they were impacted (county in which they were employed and/or resided).

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for storm recovery services, an individual must be able to provide information that they (1) lived and/or worked in an impacted county; (2) are an adult (person over the age of 18); (3) are not eligible for federal disaster assistance; and (4) have experienced a hardship resulting from the storms that occurred in December 2022 through April 2023.

Assistance Benefit Amount

Qualifying adults will receive $1,500 and children (under 18-years-old) will receive $500, with a maximum of $4,500 per household. A household is defined as individuals who live and purchase and prepare meals together.

Application process

Individuals interested in applying for this assistance should contact the nonprofit organizations listed for their county. Interested individuals will be required to apply in person. The nonprofit organization will assist individuals with the application process, including making any necessary accommodation, confirm eligibility, and provide information or referrals to any other relevant program or service. There is no charge to apply or to receive services. Applications will be considered on a first come, first served basis.

Public Charge

Storm recovery services and assistance are not means-tested and are one-time assistance. The federal government does not consider disaster assistance when making a public charge consideration.

If there are questions about immigration status and applying for this assistance, please consult an immigration attorney. For a list of qualified free immigration services immigration service providers please visit the CDSS Immigration Services grantee website

Privacy Protections

The information provided to the nonprofit organizations will only be used to confirm eligibility and provide storm recovery services and assistance to eligible individuals. The nonprofit organizations will share general demographic information (e.g. age, gender, preferred language, county location, etc.) with the State of California about applicants, but no personal information (e.g. name, address, etc.) will be given to any government agency.