LA County Board Approves New Housing Policy to Aid Wildfire Survivors

At Wednesday’s Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency board meeting, members unanimously approved a new housing policy that will prioritize the development of new housing for communities impacted by recent wildfires.

The motion, successfully introduced by Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger, who represents Pasadena,  and coauthors Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell and Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, directs the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency to incorporate wildfire recovery into both its five-year housing development plan and strategic funding plans.

“Residents whose lives were stable just two weeks ago have been completely upended by these wildfires. To lose your home overnight is unthinkable. Wildlife survivors deserve both short-term and long-term support, and this motion helps deliver exactly that,” Chair Barger said in reaction to the unanimous vote approving the motion.

The policy establishes a framework for rebuilding support through both the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency’s five-year housing development plan and the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency’s strategic funding plan, which will now prioritize support specifically for wildfire survivors. The initiative aims to coordinate resources between multiple agencies to address immediate housing needs.

“I’m committed to finding and allocating every resource possible to help both renters and property owners. That means partnering with cities and public housing authorities to stand up housing to replace what was lost,” Barger added.