While the COVID-19-related news this week is generally awful (another 8,086 new cases were reported in LA County yesterday), one small bright spot is the opening of a new city program – SERVE: Secure Emergency Relief for Vulnerable Employees – to provide at least some small measure of relief to local restaurant workers, who have been hit particularly hard by COVID-19-related business slowdowns and restaurant closers.
According to the program website:
“The Secure Emergency Relief for Vulnerable Employees (SERVE) is a new partnership between Mayor Garcetti and the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles to provide cash aid to food service workers who reside in the City of Los Angeles. SERVE will offer 4,000 food service workers with a one-time $800 stipend to help them during this critical period.”
To be eligible, applicant must:
- Reside in the city of Los Angeles
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have a 2019 income of $58,450 or less
- Have “fafallen into a deeper economic hardship during the crisis due to a job loss or a reduction in income of at least 50% at a food service establishment as a front or back of house employee.”
- Be a worker – but not owner or manager – of a food service establishment such as a restaurant, bar, winery or brewery.
According to the program website, applicants “who meet the income and age requirements will be added to a randomized list. The randomized list identifies applicants who will move forward onto the next step in the process. Applicants will be notified via email (if they provided no email then a call will be made). If they have been selected, they will have 10 days to respond. After that 10 days has lapsed, the next applicant in line will be notified.”
Application opened yesterday (December 7), at 9 a.m., and will close at midnight on Friday, December 11.
To apply, see https://www.research.net/r/SERVE_LA_ONLINE
