Session 1: Your Guide to Grants and Financial Assistance
Description
This session focuses on how fire survivors can close the financial gap between what insurance covers and the actual cost of rebuilding, featuring experts from nonprofit and utility organizations discussing grants, low-interest loans, resource navigation, and specialized rebuilding assistance.
Speakers:
Erin Rank, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles
Becky Estrella, SoCal Gas (Southern California Gas Company)
Matt Gsell, CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort)
Justin Hoellerich, Operations Lead at Bright Harbor
Session Highlights & Timestamps
1. Erin Rank, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles
Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit focused on building/renovating owner-occupied affordable homes and providing affordable lending to ensure long-term housing stability for income-limited families.
[00:02:32 - 00:03:46] Immediate Needs: Assisted over 5,000 families with initial supplies, mattresses, furniture, gift cards for food/home improvement, and essential short-term rental assistance.
[00:03:08 - 00:04:16] Rebuild Navigators: Provides neutral, nonprofit construction experts to help all survivors (regardless of income) understand contracts, review bids, and manage the step-by-step rebuilding process.
[00:04:50 - 00:05:53] Accelerator Fund Grant: Provides up to $10,000 to cover critical, uninsurable expenses (permits, contractor costs, inspection fees) that are stalling the rebuild process.
[00:05:21 - 00:06:32] Remediation Grants: Offers grants up to $25,000 for essential health and safety steps like required soil and air quality testing.
[00:05:21 - 00:07:02] 0% Interest Loans: Available for income-qualified households (under 120% AMI, ~$180k/year for a family of four). Home Repair Loans (up to $100k) are forgiven after 10 years; Home Rebuild Loans (up to $150k) have no payments for 30 years.
[00:06:30 - 00:07:42] Appliance and Furniture Assistance: A partnership with Samsung offers a free washer and dryer to every eligible household moving back in, complemented by available furniture donations.
2. Becky Estrella, Southern California Gas Company (SoCal Gas)
SoCalGas assists customers with natural gas reconnection, energy efficiency, and a broad range of financial programs, moving beyond typical utility services to support comprehensive recovery.
[00:09:54 - 00:10:59] Service Restoration: Successfully restored services to approximately 15,000 customers and is now prioritizing applications for rebuilding with natural gas.
[00:10:27 - 00:11:34] Simplified Reconnect Process: A dedicated rebuild website offers a simplified rebate application and aims for a prompt 5-day response time for gas service reconnect requests.
[00:13:32 - 01:14:27] Critical Timing for Eligibility: Customers must contact SoCal Gas and integrate utility planning before starting construction to ensure eligibility for the main enhanced rebuild program; some programs are retroactive to January 7th.
[00:13:01 - 00:14:02] Safety First: Always contact 811 (the damage prevention service) to mark the lot before beginning any ground-disturbing activity to prevent pipeline damage.
[00:11:59 - 00:14:53] Enhanced Rebates: Offers rebates that are 50% higher than standard programs for Energy Star measures, including smart thermostats, insulation, clothes dryers, washers, and tankless water heaters.
[00:15:22 - 00:16:26] Go Green Financing: A statewide financing program for impacted homeowners and small businesses, covering new construction improvements such as windows, insulation, HVAC systems, and roofing.
[00:16:21 - 00:17:13] Job Loss Assistance: Additional customer assistance programs are available for those facing financial hardship, especially due to job loss caused by the fires.
3. Matt Gsell, CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort)
CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) is an international disaster relief nonprofit providing comprehensive, long-term rebuilding support, including FEMA-contracted Disaster Case Management (DCM) to aid holistic recovery.
[00:18:45 - 00:20:00] Initial Response: Provided over $3 million in cash assistance, executed major debris clearances, and completed smoke remediation for 150 homes.
[00:29:35 - 00:30:43] DCM Eligibility: Anyone affected by the fire is eligible for DCM; there is no income qualification. This support is available to all residents regardless of financial standing.
[00:30:40 - 00:31:40] Immediate Help (Resource Navigators): Due to a long DCM wait list, walk-in Resource Navigators are available at the hub for immediate, short-term needs like help with paperwork or grant sign-ups.
[00:19:22 - 00:20:34] Rebuilding Hub Location: The hub in Altadena (Lake Avenue and Mandesto) is open Wednesday through Saturday to streamline the complicated rebuilding and permitting process.
[00:20:32 - 00:21:39] Prefab Home Tours: A demonstration lot at Lincoln and Woodbury showcases six prefab homes (ADUs to 3-bed, 2-bath models) for survivors to tour and explore modular options.
[00:38:04 - 00:39:16] Renters Assistance: Both DCM and the hub prioritize assistance for renters, not just homeowners, helping them secure a safe and stable environment after displacement.
4. Justin Hoellerich, Bright Harbor
Bright Harbor is a for-profit service focused on providing highly customized, expert guidance to help survivors overcome financial bottlenecks and recover with greater speed and clarity.
[00:23:31 - 00:24:32] Custom Recovery Plans: Provides a fully customized strategy based on individual needs, essential due to conflicting requirements from insurance, FEMA, and SBA.
[00:24:02 - 00:25:05] Expert Staff: Includes in-house experts in insurance claims, government processes (FEMA, SBA, grants), and advanced rebuilding strategy for cross-disciplinary consultation.
[00:24:33 - 00:26:50] Appeals and Financial Gaps: Actively assists with complex SBA and FEMA appeals and reviews policies to establish a clear budget and guide survivors on accessing coverage extensions.
[00:26:14 - 00:27:20] Tax Windfall: Offers specialized guidance to help survivors identify potential tax benefits from being severely underinsured, including assessing previous tax years.
[00:26:45 - 00:27:54] Grant Finder Tool: An up-to-date online tool allows users to easily search for relevant aid and grant opportunities by entering their zip code.
[00:35:55 - 00:36:49] For-Profit Model: The structure allows for hiring highly specialized experts to provide intensive, one-on-one counseling for complex cases.
[00:36:57 - 00:38:05] Subscription Cost: The full subscription costs $3,500 for unlimited use and includes a detailed "house that was" estimate (Reconstruction Cost Value), critical for successful negotiations.
[00:35:21 - 00:36:29] Sponsorships: Bright Harbor is currently sponsoring 25 full-service memberships through the Eaton Fire Survivors Network.
