Jason lost his home in the fires. His car was out of commission before the fires.
Jason was in bed watching TV when he noticed smoke in the house. He observed the winds picking up around 1:30 am and started taking down potted plants on the back porch to prevent them from falling over. At this point, he believed the fires were elsewhere, and he was concerned about the winds knocking down the potted plants. While attending to the plants outside, he began to notice embers flying through the air. Consequently, he left his home at 2:15 am. Unfortunately, he did not have renters insurance and had only moved there in July.
Jason was working full time, but he lost his job during the fires as well. His employer asked him to perform electrical work and plumbing that their company was not certified to do. Jason expressed discomfort in doing something he was not certified for. Additionally, due to losing his home in the fires, he took some time off, which displeased his employer. A few days later, his employer informed him that they would be closing their doors, providing no further explanation.
For a while, Jason worked inconsistent hours for a family friend. He resorted to couch surfing and staying in hotels whenever possible. Typically working in construction, Jason had to rely on friends for rides to reach his work locations. He mentioned that he had been working in his field in this area for 15 years and could find employment anywhere. However, without a car, he was hesitant to commit to a company as he couldn’t guarantee punctuality. His line of work often required traveling to various areas in Sonoma County, and without a truck for his tools and transportation, he felt at a loss. His community was unable to fulfill his needs to the extent necessary for him to succeed in his work. After our initial conversation with Jason, we requested that he keep us informed about his job applications. For nearly two weeks, Jason called us every day to share information about places that were willing to interview and hire him if he had a car to get there. I even verified this information by speaking with the hiring managers of these companies. Thanks to this generous gift from Allstate, Jason’s situation improved.
