Meet Brian, a 6-year-old boy diagnosed with Autism; he lives with his mom and 3 older brothers. His mother is a single mom and the only provider for the family. She was working at a restaurant but was laid off in March due to COVID-19. She recently transitioned from a women’s shelter, living there for over a year due to domestic violence experienced in their own apartment. Brian’s mother has tried to access different community resources such as SDIRC Immigrant Relief Fund and CalFresh but she hasn’t heard back from either due to the overwhelming demand of these services. She has tried very hard over the past months to get her family a decent place to live and provide her children a better life after their past trauma. The Foundation stepped in and helped her with her rent – and in turn helped Brian and his family from being homeless.

Meet David and Carlos - two siblings who are very smart, sweet, and friendly. Both boys are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder; in addition, they suffer from a rare blood disorder, Thrombocytopenia, which causes them to suffer frequent emergency visits for platelet transfusions due to severe bleeding. Both children also suffer from Eosinophilic Esophagitis, which causes difficulty swallowing, constant heartburn, chest pain, and vomiting. Both children follow a special diet and eat small amounts of foods to prevent choking. These past weeks have been very stressful for the family since their father was laid off from work in March due to Covid-19 crisis and he has not been able to find a job since then. He is the only provider for the family. The boys’ parents are trying their best to care for the home and their three children. Family has limited resources and supports since their only relatives are also dealing with their own economic struggles due to having a special needs child of their own. Because of the help fund they were able to pay their rent and use their money for food.

Since 1986, we have provided over $2,000,000 to directly assist clients of the San Diego Regional Center in emergency situations to avoid homelessness and provide necessities such as water and electricity. And in the last three months alone we have given more than $50,000 to this help fund due to the unprecedented effects of COVID -19 on people’s daily lives.

We need your help to meet the growing need in San Diego and Imperial Counties for emergency relief. Your donation goes directly to the clients we serve, so consider donating today.