COMMUNITY | By Bret Bradigan

Thomas Fire Costs Continue

Help of Ojai Director Shares Info on Aid, Recovery Efforts

It’s been more than eight months since the Thomas Fire devastated Ojai, destroying more than 100 homes and leaving lasting damage in its wake. For some people, life has resumed its normal routines, but for Help of Ojai clients, the fire continues to disrupt their lives.

That was the message from Terri Wolfe, executive director of Help of Ojai’s, the local social services agency with a $1.5 million annual budget, to the Rotary Club of Ojai this past Friday. The Rotary Club had donated $52,150 toward those efforts. Wolfe put a laser focus on Help of Ojai’s continuing efforts with the Thomas Fire recovery, the largest wildfire in state history. But it mostly by accident that Help became the lead local relief agency.

Help of Ojai wasn’t set up as a disaster relief agency, she said. “People started calling during the fire, and we were the only ones answering our phones.” Despite that initial shock, Help of Ojai quickly mobilized resources for the hundreds of people affected, including cash grants for lost wages, clothing, water and food. Being a local, trusted organization with “boots on the ground” gave them credibility and lots of local contacts. In total, Help of Ojai took in $694,621.18 in donations and still has $119,622.53 left to dispense.

Wolfe said that disbursements to fire victims will continue through June 2019. Of the remaining money, about $100,000 will be for continuing housing grants, with $19,000 in direct donations to the 68 families still being served.

In total, Help of Ojai aided 206 families “many times while the fire was still going on,” Wolfe said. “Sixty-eight families are still being served.” Sadly, some 15 families, victimized by the fire, have had to leave Ojai. Help of Ojai has, well, helped with those transitions.The massive mobilization still leaves Wolfe astounded. “We have rooms full of donated clothing, that’s come from all over the country.”

One of the many questions Wolfe fielded was, “What did you learn that will help with a new disaster?” Wolfe said that County Supervisor Steve Bennett told her, “We need to learn from you.” Disaster relief was never Help of Ojai’s mission, but Wolfe learned that she’s got a sturdy staff that knows how to put the resources to the people who need it without a lot of red tape and delays.

“A lot of people have been able to go back to business as usual, but there’s still a lot of people we work with for which that is not the case,” she said. “It will be a long time before they can go back to normal.”

One policy Wolfe did institute right away was the set up separate accounting, and to have a full record of donations given and received available “for transparency’s sake.”

Help of Ojai is located at 111 West Santa Ana Street, phone number is 646-1522 and website at helpofojai.org.