Living on the lot while waiting to rebuild (Photo – Melissa Michelson)
Four California legislators representing districts impacted by the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires have formally requested an extension of federal housing assistance for displaced residents, warning that failure to act could trigger a wave of homelessness this summer.
By News Desk
Led by Assemblymember John Harabedian (D–Pasadena), the lawmakers sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem urging the federal government to extend housing support provided through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The letter was also signed by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D–Thousand Oaks) and Senators Sasha Renée Pérez (D–Pasadena) and Ben Allen (D–Santa Monica), signaling a unified push to support affected communities.
The request focuses on FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program (IHP), which has offered rental assistance to wildfire survivors displaced from their homes since January 7, 2025. That assistance is currently scheduled to expire in July 2026.
“Our neighbors who have already been through the unthinkable after losing everything continue to be displaced while they battle their insurance companies and work to rebuild,” Harabedian said in a statement. “Forcing these families onto the streets or into their cars because the federal government wants to play political games with rental assistance funding would be an unacceptable escalation of partisan hostility.”
While rebuilding efforts are underway, the legislators argue that recovery timelines remain slow due to insufficient federal investment. As a result, they say additional housing support is necessary to prevent further hardship for survivors.
Without an extension of FEMA assistance, communities impacted by the Eaton and Palisades Fires could face a crisis of mass homelessness as early as this summer, according to the lawmakers.
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