9 months after the Fire, most families still displaced and running out of housing coverage
Oct 17 2025
Dear friend,
Nine months after the fire, the numbers are staggering. A new Department of Angels report, based on surveys of 2,335 survivors across Altadena, Pasadena, and the Palisades, finds recovery conditions worsening across every measure.
It’s called the Community Voices: LA Fire Recovery Report, and it’s the largest study ever conducted of L.A. fire survivors.
I was privileged to serve on the launch webinar.
Watch the launch webinar
Read the summary blog post:
“This Is Bigger. This Is Systemic. What 2,335 Fire Survivors Told Us Nine Months After the Fires”
Listen to AirTalk with Larry Mantle — California Community Foundation CEO Miguel Santana discusses the findings and calls for accountability.
Key Report Findings:
• Displacement: 8 in 10 Eaton Fire survivors and 90% of Palisades Fire survivors are still not home.
• Housing coverage expiring: More than half will lose their coverage within a year, and one in five within the next few months.
• Basic needs and health: One in five families earning under $100,000 are cutting back on food, and one in six are skipping medical care. Among survivors earning under $50,000, 10% have already experienced homelessness since the fires.
• Renters: Nearly one-third had no insurance, and most who did have already exhausted their coverage.
• Mental health: 73% of survivors say their mental health has worsened since the fire.
At the heart of all this trauma is what survivors simply call The Gap. It’s the difference between what insurance is paying and what it actually costs to recover and rebuild.
At the heart of all this trauma is what survivors simply call The Gap. It’s the difference between what insurance is paying and what it actually costs to recover and rebuild.
That gap — now a median of $200,000 per household — is widening fast as temporary housing coverage runs out. Los Angeles County is on the brink of mass housing insecurity in the months ahead.
History shows what’s at stake.
After California’s five most destructive fires, the Los Angeles Times found that only 38% of homes were rebuilt within five years. The difference? Two factors:
1. Whether insurers paid fully and fairly, and
2. When a utility was at fault, whether the utility paid fully and fairly.
When both acted quickly, communities recovered. When either stalled, neighborhoods disappeared.
Accountability determines recovery
The Department of Angels report found widespread delays and denials from the two largest insurance providers — State Farm and the California FAIR Plan. Together they cover nearly a third of survivors. Both are now seeking major rate hikes.
That’s why survivors, civic leaders and every state legislator covering the Eaton and Palisades Fires have united behind EFSN’s detailed proposal for Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara:
Five Urgent Actions to Stop Insurer Misconduct.
This plan outlines immediate steps he can take under existing law to stop the delays and denials and release the funds our families have already paid for.
Read the plan: efsurvivors.net/stop-insurer-misconduct
Our coalition includes every state legislator representing the fire zones — and we’ll keep holding the Commissioner accountable to enforce the law.
And in the case of Edison, we released a 51-page report last week showing that their draft compensation plan is wholly inadequate — designed more to shield the company from liability to insurers than to help families rebuild.
Read our report, Fix What You Broke: efsurvivors.net/edisonrecovery
The #1 takeaway from all these reports is clear: accountability determines recovery.
Five years from now, we don’t want to see only 38% of families home. We want thriving neighborhoods, rebuilt communities, and survivors made whole.
To get there, we’ll need to keep building the civic coalitions strong enough to hold insurers — and Edison — accountable to pay what they owe.
Community remains the backbone of recovery
Even as systems stall, survivors keep showing up for one another. Neighbors, block captains, and local leaders have become the first line of support, sharing information, resources, and hope.
That community spirit is the reason this recovery still moves forward. Survivors overwhelmingly say they want to rebuild stronger, safer, and smarter.
Community Events
Thursday, October 16, 2025 | 11:00 AM
Edison Power Line Undergrounding Forum
Hosted by ACONA and Altagether – our neighborhood captains!
Come ask your questions directly and make sure our neighborhoods’ voices are heard.
👉 Register here
Wednesday, October 22, 2025 | 6–8 PM
Legal Aid Town Hall for Eaton Fire Survivors
Hosted by Pasadena NAACP President Brandon Lamar
Eaton Fire Collaboratory, 540 W. Woodbury Rd, Altadena
Free pro-bono legal support on contractor, insurance, and mortgage issues.
👉 RSVP here
Saturday, November 15, 2025 | 9 AM–5 PM
The Virtual Rebuilding Summit for Survivors
Hosted by the Eaton Fire Survivors Network
A free, one-day online summit offering practical guidance to help families rebuild safely and affordably.
👉 Visit efsurvivors.net/rebuilding-summit
October 21, November 4, November 18, December 2, December 16, January 6, January 20 | 6 PM
Bereavement Group: Extreme Weather Survivors
Hosted by Extreme Weather Survivors
Led by mental health professionals specializing in trauma, this group is for people who have lost loved ones in a disaster.
👉 Register here
Mortgage Forbearance
Governor Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 238, giving wildfire survivors up to one year of mortgage forbearance — with no late fees, penalties, or documentation required.
Under the new law, borrowers can pause mortgage payments for up to 12 months simply by attesting that the fires caused financial hardship.
How to Apply:
• Contact your mortgage servicer — the company listed on your mortgage statement.
• Submit a short written request for forbearance under AB 238, stating that you’re experiencing financial hardship due to the wildfire disaster.
• Your servicer must respond within 10 business days.
• If approved, you’ll receive a payment pause (renewable in 90-day increments) for up to one year.
• During this time, servicers cannot charge late fees, report delinquency, or initiate foreclosure.
For help or questions, the California Department of Financial Protection & Innovation (DFPI) will be posting official guidance and a helpline for borrowers.
Learn more here
I’ve been amazed by the brilliant, dedicated people working together on this recovery — neighbors, local leaders, advocates, and volunteers. I know that by pulling together, we can bring far more than 38% of our families home within five years.
To get there, we must hold both the insurers and the utility that caused the Eaton Fire accountable, to pay what they owe, fully and fairly. I know that together, we can do exactly that.
Decades ago, I served as Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles. Since then, I’ve worked across the nation and around the world, often helping build leadership across organizations and communities. But this time, it’s personal.
Coming home — reconnecting with old friends, meeting new partners, and working alongside so many dedicated, capable people — has been deeply humbling. It’s reminded me of what’s possible when civic leadership rises from the ground up.
With gratitude,
Joy Chen
