Federal agencies need to do more to accommodate the struggling victims since the Eton fire in January, Rep. Judy Chew (D. Monterry Park) and advocacy groups discussed Tuesday.
CHU held a roundtable meeting at the Altadena Library with officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Agency for Housing and Urban Development, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and other agencies.
Even when federal vouchers and other housing aid are available, thousands of people continue to bounce between hotel rooms and beating cars and other unstable housing situations, supporters said.
“Eton Fire survivors are slipping cracks,” Chu said at a post-event press conference.
CHU is urging FEMA to allow housing programs called direct leases. The Times reported this month that FEMA has not implemented a direct lease to Los Angeles despite being generally available after a national natural disaster, including MAUI’s 2023 wildfire.
The wildfires in January destroyed around 13,000 homes, accounting for more than half of the losses in Altadena and surrounding areas.
FEMA and Caloes officials say their data shows thousands of rental units available across LA County, leaving the program no longer needed.
“We know from the anecdotal evidence that it’s not true,” Chu said. “That’s far from the truth.”
Fire survivors face many barriers to finding permanent homes while deciding to rebuild their homes, supporters said. Landlords’ income requirements are too high. Potential tenants have too low credit scores. Some landlords do not accept the vouchers FEMA offers to survivors. And the agency is including apartments in other areas far from Antelope Valley and Altadena in its assessment of the LA rental market.
Without taking these factors into consideration, FEMA officials ignored ground needs, supporters said.
“There’s a huge gap between availability, availability and accessibility,” said Jasmin Shupper, president of the local nonprofit Greenline Housing Foundation.
The push for additional housing aid comes amid widespread cuts by FEMA and resistance from the Trump administration to disaster spending nationwide. On Tuesday, the president threatened to strip California of federal funds if the state continues to allow trans athletes to compete in girls’ sports.
Chu said FEMA has already provided $132 million in support.
She said money for direct leases could be used through existing federal disaster allocations following the January wildfires. She said she supported the state’s demands for Trump and Congress at $40 billion for long-term recovery efforts.
FEMA and Caloes did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Chu’s request. After reporting earlier this month, state emergency officials said they are reevaluating their previous decision not to advocate for direct leases.
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