Thursday, April 30, 2026

County Mental Health Team Brings Free Paperwork Help to Altadena’s Neighborhood Library

Illustration depicting a county mental health outreach event at a neighborhood library.

Eaton Fire survivors can get one-on-one tech help with online applications and appeals — by appointment on weekdays, or walk-in this Saturday

More than a year after the Eaton Fire, the forms are still coming.

FEMA appeals, insurance claim submissions, disaster assistance applications — the bureaucratic aftermath of the January 2025 disaster remains unfinished business for many Altadena survivors. To help them through it, the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health has stationed an outreach team at the Altadena Library at Loma Alta Park, offering free, one-on-one, in-person tech support for anyone still struggling to navigate those online systems.

Sessions are available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., by appointment. Saturday, May 9 — from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — is a walk-in day: no appointment needed.

The library is at 3330 N. Lincoln Ave. in Loma Alta Park, housed in the park’s Social Hall.

To schedule a weekday appointment, visit https://forms.office.com/g/tTu38ihSxS. The appointment form is available in both English and Spanish, according to the department. The DMH team will follow up to confirm the appointment.

The county mental health department has maintained a recovery presence in Altadena since the fire, including walk-in counseling services at the Eaton Fire Collaborative at 540 W. Woodbury Road. According to LACDMH, the department’s outreach efforts at Loma Alta Park are part of a broader commitment to meet fire survivors where they are — literally, in their neighborhood — as the recovery process extends into its second year.

“While the Eaton and Palisades wildfires took place a year ago, many people continue to experience disaster-related distress, and the anniversary of the wildfires may reactivate trauma tied to these devastating events,” DMH Director Lisa H. Wong said in a statement issued in January 2026, according to LACDMH.

The tech support sessions address a different dimension: the practical work of navigating complex digital systems and submitting the paperwork that can unlock recovery assistance.

For more information or to make an appointment, contact Gisselle Diaz at (213) 965-6484 or GiDiaz@dmh.lacounty.gov, or James Kimura at (213) 965-6485 or JKimura@dmh.lacounty.gov.

The Eaton Fire destroyed 9,418 structures in and around Altadena on January 7, 2025, according to Cal Fire.