Sonoma County to add financial stability resources into local emergency response plan

Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management (DEM) today announced that it had been selected by national nonprofit Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund) to receive funding and technical support to enhance local emergency preparedness and response plans to incorporate financial empowerment services for residents. The CFE Fund’s Emergency Financial Empowerment (EFE) initiative provides local governments across the country with grant dollars and technical assistance to build and expand their emergency preparedness and response infrastructure to support individual and family financial needs.

Natural and man-made disasters, public health crises, and localized emergencies often significantly impact the financial stability of residents with unexpected expenses, loss of income, and other financial stresses. These shocks can lead to long-term financial consequences. While individuals and families suffer these impacts, they also must contend with identifying available resources, determining their eligibility, and learning the process for accessing those resources. Additionally, a household's financial stability before a disaster takes place can have a major impact on their ability to access relief programs when emergencies do happen.

Through the CFE Fund’s EFE initiative, Sonoma County DEM will work to connect financial empowerment supports to emergency preparedness and response procedures. These supports could range from expanding individual financial counseling to prepare for emergencies to helping residents navigate requirements across federal grant and loan applications after a disaster. Sonoma County has received a $150,000 grant from the CFE Fund to support the engagement.

In addition to Sonoma County, Montgomery County, MD and Orange County, FL were competitively chosen for this opportunity. Grantees were selected for their demonstrated interest in identifying the role of local emergency management in household financial resilience. Partners from the inaugural five-city EFE cohort are currently working on enhancing their local emergency plans to include financial empowerment strategies, training local service providers on connecting residents to financial stability resources before and after emergencies, and more.

“Sonoma County is committed to ensuring that our residents are not only safer during emergencies, but also financially resilient in the aftermath,” said Supervisor Rebecca Hermosillo, chair of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. “This investment allows us to better connect people with the tools and support they need to recover and rebuild. By integrating financial empowerment into our emergency response planning, we are strengthening our communities and helping families prepare for whatever emergency may come.”

“Being selected for this highly competitive national grant is a major milestone for our community. It allows us to strengthen emergency preparedness and planning by integrating financial support resources, helping residents stay resilient. Emergencies don’t just disrupt infrastructure; they disrupt people’s financial stability in ways that can last long after the immediate emergency has passed,” said Jeff DuVall, Director of Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management.

“The CFE Fund is thrilled to partner with Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management to ensure Sonoma County can connect financial empowerment to disaster preparedness and response, supporting residents’ financial stability during emergencies,” said Jonathan Mintz, President and CEO of the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund. “Financial stability is a critical component of emergency preparedness and response, and we applaud Sonoma County’s investment in this important work to help residents better prepare for and recover from unexpected disasters.”

About the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund)

The CFE Fund supports municipal efforts to improve the financial stability of households by leveraging opportunities unique to local government. By translating cutting-edge experience with large-scale programs, research, and policy in cities of all sizes, the CFE Fund assists mayors and other local leaders to identify, develop, fund, implement, and research pilots and programs that help families build assets and make the most of their financial resources. The CFE Fund is currently working in over 150 cities and counties, and has disbursed over $75 million to local governments and their partners to support these efforts. For more information, please visit www.cfefund.org or follow us on Bluesky at @cfefund.bsky.social.

About Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management

The Department of Emergency Management is responsible for the mitigation, preparedness, planning, coordination of response, and recovery activities related to county emergencies and disasters. The department serves as the primary coordination point for emergency management's activities affecting more than one jurisdiction, and the unincorporated areas of the county. The Department of Emergency Management became an independent county department in July 2019. 

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Media Contact: 
Karen Hancock, Public Information Officer
Sonoma County Department of Emergency management
karen.hancock@sonomacounty.gov 
(707) 565-1794