A critical recovery program for survivors of the Eaton and Palisades fires could run out of money Wednesday unless the Federal Emergency Management Agency reverses its denial of $6.6 million in additional support.
U.S. Rep. Judy Chu, along with Rep. Brad Sherman and Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, urged the agency to both release funding it has already approved and grant California's appeal so survivors can keep getting help as they rebuild.
Here's what to know
According to Pasadena Now, the four California lawmakers sent FEMA administrator Cameron Hamilton a letter Thursday that challenged the agency's Sept. 11 rejection of $6.6 million for the Disaster Case Management Program. They also asked FEMA to send the remaining previously approved money and to respond to a list of questions by Monday.
The program is intended for people affected by the January 2025 Eaton and Palisades fires who still have unresolved disaster-related needs. FEMA and Los Angeles County say case managers help with insurance claims, FEMA or Small Business Administration issues, financing, floor plans, and coordinating with contractors.
In their letter, the lawmakers said FEMA approved the program on May 5, 2025, for a 24-month period with about $13 million attached. They said only around $3 million has been released, while three additional installments were under review, Pasadena Now reported.
Providers told lawmakers that more than 3,000 survivors have been served, 1,288 cases remain active, and 84 people are on an immediate waitlist. They also said 1,023 of those active cases are in the highest complexity categories and that a broader provider database identifies another 7,000 survivors still waiting for a case manager.
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More background
The timing has become especially pressing. Citing the state Department of Social Services, the lawmakers said the program will end Wednesday without FEMA funding. In a Sept. 10 letter, they said providers expected roughly 109 staff positions to be cut if the money did not come through, as Pasadena Now detailed.
Survivors navigating insurance disputes, repair plans, housing searches, and federal paperwork can face months of delays without one-on-one guidance.
They also pointed to another approaching cutoff: FEMA housing aid for Los Angeles wildfire survivors is set to expire Oct. 9, Pasadena Now reported. The lawmakers said that, as of Sept. 17, 801 households were still receiving that assistance, including 623 renter households, and 329 applications were pending.
The letter argues that losing both forms of support within days could leave survivors stranded at one of the most difficult points in recovery.
"Allowing DCMP to terminate in tandem with this separate housing assistance cliff risks leaving survivors without trained case managers precisely when many may need additional help navigating housing challenges and other unmet recovery needs," they wrote, per Pasadena Now.
What's being done?
California's Office of Emergency Services has already appealed FEMA's denial, and the congressional delegation is trying to pressure the agency to act before the program ends. In their letter, the lawmakers asked what documentation FEMA needs to approve the request and when the remaining installments will be released.
They also disputed FEMA's position that the state had not provided enough cost justification beyond the original award, as Pasadena Now noted.
"The State's supplemental funding request is not an effort to unnecessarily expand DCMP" but instead reflects the cost of keeping services in place through FEMA's already approved period, they wrote.
The state Department of Social Services oversees the program, while Catholic Charities of California, CORE, the Little Tokyo Service Center, and Jewish Family Services LA carry it out, Pasadena Now stated.
With case management potentially ending and rental assistance set to expire, access to trained support workers could determine whether survivors are able to stay housed, secure repairs, and move forward.
The lawmakers said FEMA had already recognized the need for long-term assistance when it approved the program, and they argue the agency's delays threaten that plan.
"FEMA approved this program because survivors needed sustained case management throughout a long and difficult recovery. Yet FEMA's own funding delays still threaten to force the program to shut down months before the end of that approved period," the lawmakers said, according to Pasadena Now.
Where can I learn more?
For more on the FEMA aid fights shaping wildfire recovery, these stories look at what's happening in disaster-hit communities.
• In Wisconsin, officials said federal decision on $30 million in FEMA aid left flood recovery unfinished.
• In Colorado, federal aid was denied after historic wildfires and floods strained communities.
• In California, Eaton Fire survivors demanded insurance fixes and housing advances as recovery costs piled up.
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