Community groups in Altadena say some Eaton Fire survivors are falling through the cracks when trying to find temporary or long-term stable housing.
Some fire survivors say the assistance they’re getting from FEMA and the state isn’t enough to pay rent in Los Angeles’ competitive housing market – that is, if landlords are willing to accept the vouchers at all. They walked away unsatisfied after a meeting with FEMA and state officials on Tuesday.
“We all have contacts, lists, databases of folks who are still in need of long-term, even emergency housing, every single one of us,” a woman said at the meeting. “We’ve all been working together for months. We're doing our best to catch these people falling through the cracks, but we really need the assistance of FEMA and Cal OES to really step up.”
Community groups, including Civic Soul and Green Line Housing, say FEMA and state emergency officials aren't on the same page as them, with official databases saying there’s housing available even though it’s not accessible.
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Congresswoman Judy Chu said she'll be sending a letter asking FEMA to explore every disaster housing assistance program it has to help the fire survivors, including its direct housing program, which bypasses landlords to get people the housing they need.
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