St. Joseph Community Partnership Fund

4 Background On the two-year anniversary of the 2017 wildfires, Sonoma and Napa counties are faced with a new normal, most recently hallmarked by rolling power shutdowns across the region in the face of heightened fire danger and high winds. A poignant reminder of the dramatically changed landscape, the shutdowns highlight that the very real threat of disaster remains the context for the work of local leadership, as stakeholders move from direct relief and recovery efforts into rebuilding, and vigilantly protecting, a resilient community. The needs of the community have grown dramatically. Affordable housing, mental health, job stability and environmental safety have surfaced as unmet community priorities 1 , as a larger number of the region's population than ever before has been made "vulnerable" by job loss, housing instability, and trauma. How does the community of stakeholders most engaged in the disaster response effort feel about its own impact two years after the fires? That is the question asked of more than 60 foundations, government agency representatives and nonprofit professionals, and the focus of this timely assessment. Methodology This report, resourced by St. Joseph Community Partnership Fund, a foundation of the Prov- idence St. Joseph Health system that has been involved in the disaster response effort, was designed to assess the cross-sector regional response to the wildfires in Napa and Sonoma. It draws from an extensive mixed-methods evaluation process that encompassed document review, surveys and interviews. The research was supported by a local Advisory Committee with representatives from providers, funders, and local government. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 Unmet priorities and unmet needs will be discussed throughout. FEMA defines "unmet needs" as "a deficit between verified disaster-caused damages and obtainable disaster aid, including insurance assistance, Federal and State assistance, and personal resources." This report defines the term "unmet needs" as needs that were created or exacerbated by the wildfires of 2017 and still remain unresolved. This broader definition allows for a longer term and more holistic approach that allows for changes in insurance and construction costs, delayed onset of issues, and issues such as mental health needs that are not always easy to attribute directly to disaster occurrence and that do not follow strict timelines.

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