New Altadena cash program joins county rent relief, state mortgage forbearance and nonprofit aid efforts

A new two-year cash assistance program for Eaton Fire renters is adding another layer to a widening recovery system that stretches from Sacramento to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to local nonprofits, turning Altadena into a test case for how California may structure renter-focused disaster relief after major fires.

Applications open Monday, May 11, for Direct Cash for Altadena Fire Recovery, a program created by the National Council of Jewish Women Los Angeles in partnership with the Altadena Tenants Union, Altadena Community Land Trust and other community groups.

Eligible applicants will be entered into a selection pool, from which 30 households will be randomly chosen to receive $36,000 over 24 months through monthly unrestricted cash payments. The money may be used for rent, relocation costs, debt payments or other household needs, according to program officials.

The initiative is modest in scale but potentially significant in design: It is aimed specifically at renters still dealing with the financial aftershocks of the Eaton Fire, a population advocates say often has fewer recovery tools than homeowners after disasters.

“More than a year after the devastating fires, we know thousands of families are still struggling to rebuild their lives,” Marjorie Gilberg, chief executive of NCJWLA, said in a statement. “NCJWLA knows that cash will deliver some breathing room, help renters escape crippling debt, and provide families with options again.”

The program comes as Eaton Fire recovery is increasingly being handled through a layered mix of public and nonprofit interventions. In September, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved an emergency rent-relief program, with amendments that raised individual rent-relief caps from $5,000 to $15,000, covered up to six months of rent and added $10 million to the overall program, according to Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office.

At the state level, Assembly Bill 238 created a wildfire mortgage-forbearance framework for some homeowners affected by the Eaton Fire, Palisades Fire and related windstorm disaster. The law allows eligible borrowers to request mortgage forbearance, requires servicers to offer an initial period of up to 90 days that may be extended in 90-day increments up to 12 months, and bars late fees and foreclosure actions during qualifying forbearance periods.

Together, the programs point to a broader policy shift: immediate disaster response is giving way to longer-term financial stabilization for people whose housing, employment and family budgets remain unsettled long after evacuation orders are lifted.

The county’s own rent-relief motion directed the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs to build an ongoing framework that could be adjusted for “future emergencies,” including the ability to quickly deliver rent relief as new crises emerge. The final motion also made some displaced tenant and homeowner households eligible for up to six months of rent or mortgage relief, not to exceed $15,000.

Nonprofits have been filling additional gaps. CORE, the Community Organized Relief Effort, says it has distributed $3.6 million in cash assistance to Angelenos affected by the Los Angeles fires and is operating long-term recovery services in Altadena. Union Station Homeless Services is offering Eaton Fire housing assistance that can include security deposits, rental payments, rental arrears, motel vouchers and longer-term rental assistance, depending on household need and funding availability.

NCJWLA’s program adds a more targeted experiment: unrestricted cash over two years for renters, with participants selected by lottery from an eligible pool. The program’s web page describes it as a first-of-its-kind long-term direct cash assistance program for households directly affected by the Eaton Fire and says impact measurement will be supported through a partnership with the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Guaranteed Income Research.

To qualify, applicants must have been tenants in Altadena on Jan. 7, 2025; currently live in Los Angeles, Riverside or San Bernardino County; meet HUD low-income thresholds for their county; be the primary financial supporter of a household with dependents; and not be enrolled in another guaranteed-income program. Applications are scheduled to open May 11, and program information says the cash does not have to be repaid and has no restrictions on use.

The Eaton Fire burned more than 14,000 acres, killed 19 people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, leaving many renters displaced in a region already strained by high housing costs. CAL FIRE lists the fire at 14,021 acres and fully contained.

For renters, the challenge is not only replacing a home, but surviving the financial gap between the disaster and a stable place to live. Advocates say many tenants have faced displacement, rising rents, debt and limited access to long-term rebuilding resources.

That is why the new cash program is being watched as more than a charitable grant. Alongside county rent relief and state mortgage protections, it is part of a broader real-time experiment in disaster finance — one that may help determine whether future wildfire recovery programs treat renters as a central population rather than a secondary concern.

Applications for the program will open Monday at NCJWLA’s website .https://www.ncjwla.org/resources/direct-cash-for-altadena-fire-recovery