Altadena and Pasadena residents who lost their homes to Eton Fire said Tuesday they still struggle to secure long-term housing and are calling on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to launch direct lease programs in neighborhoods with wildfires.
It has been about five months since the Eton Fire destroyed more than 9,000 facilities.
Under the direct lease program, FEMA will work directly with Los Angeles County real estate and management companies to remove the hurdles for wildfire victims looking for homes.
A group of community representatives highlighted some anecdotal challenges and struggles in obtaining housing, so they asked members of Congress to tweak FEMA.
“I immediately send a letter to urge FEMA to explore all available disaster housing assistance programs for fire survivors, including direct housing assistance programs that can provide housing across the state directly to survivors without passing through landowners.” Rep. Judy Chu said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Rep. Judy Chew held a roundtable meeting with Eton Fire victims and community members on Tuesday.
Chu also highlighted the need for a federal lease program for Eton Firefighter victims due to the state of the housing market in Los Angeles.
“Many survivors are unable to find affordable housing options nearby,” Chu said for roundtable discussions with victims who lamented the existing housing crisis and the competitive housing market in LA County.
Another problem victims are experiencing is the data gap. The grassroots organization says it has heard from people that it has found long-term housing options, but FEMA has a different info.
“FEMA and Cal OES data say they have (residential) availability, but we know they are not accessible,” said a community member.
What the victims found was that housing vacancy doesn’t necessarily mean housing availability due to financial hiber.
“They didn’t have three times their monthly rent and income, so they didn’t have a credit score of 750, so they weren’t approved,” said another community representative.
It is not clear whether the Eton Firefighter’s inability to find temporary or long-term homes is related to the lawsuit filed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta against the Trump administration.
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