Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, gathered 15 community groups Tuesday for a roundtable meeting with representatives from government agencies, advocating for a direct leasing program for Eaton fire survivors desperate for housing help.
The Direct Lease housing program would activate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as the master owner of leases, allowing it to act as a lender and rent to fire survivors who cannot find housing.
FEMA officials have said the program isn’t necessary, pointing to their data that Los Angeles County has many rental units available.
“We know from anecdotal evidence that it is far from the truth,” Chu said, saying she will urge FEMA to explore every available housing program for disaster survivors, including direct leasing.
Jasmin Shupper, founder of Greenline Housing Foundation, said there is a huge gap between availability and vacancy and accessibility. The people the nonprofits are trying to help are finding rentals that don’t accept FEMA stipends or are priced out of places that do. Some don’t have enough for three-month’s deposit, or their credit scores are too low, Shupper said.
