Tayas Yawks

Klamath County
Request: $50,000

The Wrights Spring Fire is creating an urgent need for coordinated outreach and assistance, particularly for families and individuals who already face barriers to transportation, healthcare, behavioral health services, stable housing, and disaster recovery resources. Tayas Yawks, a culturally responsive community-based organization serving Native American, rural, low-income, justice-impacted, and other historically underserved residents, is prepared to help meet these needs, but additional emergency funding is necessary to expand our response safely and effectively. Because the fire remains active and community needs are rapidly developing, we respectfully request consideration for immediate rapid-response funding through the Oregon Disaster Funders Network.

Funding would support emergency staff time, mileage and fuel, mobile outreach operations, transportation assistance, emergency supplies, communications, temporary lodging assistance, personal protective equipment, and disaster-related case management. We will separately document all fire-response expenditures, services provided, households reached, unmet needs identified, and referrals completed. Tayas Yawks is ready to mobilize its staff, trusted community relationships, transportation resources, and mobile outreach capacity. With timely financial support, we can help ensure that Native, rural, low-income, and otherwise vulnerable residents are not left behind during the response and recovery process.

• $20,000 for emergency hotel and temporary lodging assistance;

• $12,000 for evacuation gas cards and transportation assistance;

• $7,000 for Traditional Health Worker, peer-support, and outreach staff response time;

• $3,000 for mobile outreach fuel, mileage, and operating expenses;

• $5,000 for food, water, hygiene supplies, smoke-protection materials, and other emergency necessities; and

• $3,000 for communications, community coordination, and disaster-related case management.