Earlier this evening, Chancellor Larive issued a Declaration of Emergency for our campus and we started a mandatory evacuation for those who remain on campus. As the members of our Slug community continue to deal with the wildfires and evacuations, we want to outline some of the resources available to you. We know that a large portion of our employee base has been evacuated from locations across our region. Many of our employees who have roles in our fire response efforts have been impacted personally. We also have reports of employees who have lost their homes. The challenges many of you are facing are immense and it is vital that we come together to support our colleagues in need.
Immediate housing and evacuation support
Yesterday, we opened up our University Town Center to employees who had been displaced by evacuations and had nowhere else to go. That facility has now filled up. If slots become available as employees find other locations to relocate to, we will let you know.
Based on your home location, you can contact the CAL Fire information line at 831-335-6717 for evacuation guidance.
The Red Cross Shelter line is available at 866-272-2237. They can assist you with shelter locations.
For employees who live on campus, and do not have a place to go, we are evacuating them to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Cocoanut Grove. Specific evacuation guidance has been sent to those living in employee housing.
Emergency Loans and Financial Assistance
The University has an emergency loan program through two credit unions that will provide Emergency Loans to UC employees. The two credit unions are – USE Credit Union and University Credit Union.
Both suppliers have UC negotiated interest rates, are in complete compliance with the Truth in Lending requirements, and will provide online application tools for employees to directly apply for emergency loans.
To learn more, contact the following organizations:
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Organization |
University Credit Union |
USE Credit Union |
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Contact Phone |
(800) UCU-4510 (800) 828-4510 |
(866) 873-4968, Option 2 |
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Contact |
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Loan Application Website |
To access the application:
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To access the application:
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You can also check in with your local bank or credit union to learn about other emergency loan programs they have available to you.
Employees may also qualify under hardship rules and may be able to take a withdrawal from a 457 (b) balance and 403 (b) balance. More information is available in the “Support for those affected by California's wildfires” section on the UC website.
Our campus is actively identifying other possibilities to support those with financial need and will provide additional information as it becomes available.
Volunteering materials or space for those in need
Currently, we have different units across campus who have started their own lists of people who have resources, materials, or space to support those in need. We are working to help coordinate those efforts so that we can have a comprehensive listing of contact people in each unit. More information to come on that front.
Leave options for those unable to work
Various employees will be impacted in different ways as a result of the fires. Some will be unable to work based on their personal circumstances and others will be unable to work because the campus is not accessible. Leave options will depend on the individual circumstances. Staff HR will be generating guidance on this. Instructions for managing requests for administrative leave have already been sent to managers and supervisors. We will post additional information online tomorrow.
Mental health and counseling support
Employees also have access to counseling and support services available under the Employee Assistance Program.
Other support
We are formulating a single point of contact for employees who are in need or have questions. The details are still being finalized, but additional information will be provided as soon as possible.
Thank you to everyone who has pulled together to support our campus community. You demonstrate such amazing humanity.
