Members of Truckee’s Emergency Operations Center have provided another round of COVID-19 updates to Town Council members, highlighting COVID-19 statistics and relief programs the town is involved in, along with rudimentary plans for businesses once restrictions are relaxed.
Truckee also announced it would begin offering residential rental relief funds to those experiencing financial impacts due to COVID-19.
The one-month program will begin this month and is designed to help Truckee renters who have lost their jobs or had a reduction in wages because of COVID-19. Due to limited funds, rental relief will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications can be found at http://www.TownofTruckee.com.
“This is for people who’ve been directly impacted by COVID, and are having significant difficulty paying their rent and staying in the place that they live,” said Town Manager Jeff Loux during Tuesday’s Town Council meeting. “It’s a very, very simple application … it’s a bridging opportunity to get us through a month or so.”
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The town has put $50,000 into the program, which it approved of, in concept, several months ago. Town staff then took the program a step further under the emergency declaration to offer emergency residential rent assistance during the outbreak of COVID-19.
Loux also said the town is expecting an additional $93,000 in federal funding for a second round of rental assistance. The federal funding will be restricted to those who make 80% or below the median income in the county.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Truckee has donated $75,000 for Sierra Community House’s Hunger Relief Program, $10,000 to Sierra Senior Services’ Meals for Seniors program, $5,000 for the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe’s Pet Pantry Program, and $15,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe’s Truckee Dinner Service program.
Loux also touched on plans for the town’s businesses once the state begins to reopen. While he declined to offer specifics, Loux said the town is looking at different ways to approach business, including plans for social distancing, once restrictions relax.
“Rather than simply stand back and wait for the state to tell us what to do, or Nevada County Public Health to say, ‘Well, this is what you can do,’ we want to be more proactive,” said Loux. “The concept is a very common-sense based strategy for being able to move when the window exists to do so, and we think that window is relatively soon.”
In order to better anticipate businesses’ needs, Loux said the town put out a survey to all local businesses, asking several questions about what it will take to reopen and recover once the state gives the go-ahead to do so. As part of being prepared to reopen businesses, the town is also planning to host focus groups with select members of the lodging sector, food and beverage sector, and retail and outdoor outfitters sector. The first focus group meeting is expected to take place next week.
The next Truckee Town Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 12.
Justin Scacco is a reporter for the Sierra Sun. Contact him at [email protected] or 530-550-2643.
