LibGuides: Financial Wellness: Basic Needs

Resources in Napa County

What are basic needs? Basic needs are those necessities that you need to prioritize in order have financial stability. Some of the things we can expect to pay for ourselves are rent, food, clothing and transportation. Quite often, meeting these basic needs can be quite challenging and do not leave room for money left over to save. Some simple solutions to this can be:

Maybe we don't need to pay $5 dollars a day at a cafe for our caffeine fix. We can make coffee at home.
We can food prep our meals during the week so we don't have to eat out everyday.
We can organize bicycle or bus to school to save gas and money and reduce our carbon footprint.

We can do many things to try and meet our basic needs but sometimes that still is not enough. In the previous section of this guide, we learned to start thinking about our financial base. If that base for whatever reason can not meet the needs of providing for our basic needs, we might begin to consider using some of the resources that Napa Valley College of Napa County Services can provide. Listed on this page are some of those resources.

Housing Assistance
City of Napa housing resources
Community Action Napa Valley
From website: We help our fellow citizens improve their lives and their situations. Whether, it’s shelter, or food, or care and attention, the programs, staff, and supporters of Community Action of Napa Valley make a real difference for people throughout the Napa Valley.
Community Resources for Children
Community Resources for Children maintains the “Childcare Eligibility List” (or CEL) for subsidized child care programs in Napa County. The CEL is available to families in need of child care for children ages 0-12, or in special circumstances, the child care needs of children over the age of 13 who have certain documented special needs such as a physical or a behavioral disability.
Cal Fresh Outreach
Cal Fresh is a nutrition assistance program that helps low-income individuals and families buy the food they need. Cal Fresh dollars help stretch a tight food budget and help many people afford to incorporate healthy foods like fruits and vegetables into their diets.

Services on Napa Campus

Basic Needs Center
The Basic Needs Center addresses the gaps and concerns students have with accessing nutritious food, stable housing, and financial, physical, and mental wellness resources.
Student Health Center
The Student Health Center is staffed by a Nurse Practitioner and Medical Assistant. On-campus medical services such as consultations, select prescriptions and over-the-counter medications are provided at no cost.