Housing Crisis Stalls Eaton Fire Recovery as Coalition Urges Edison to Act
ALTADENA, Calif. Nearly one year after the Eaton Fire destroyed or contaminated thousands of homes, a broad civic coalition gathered Tuesday with State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez to warn that recovery has stalled because families cannot stay housed, and that responsibility lies with Southern California Edison, the company whose fire destroyed and poisoned their homes.
According to
research by the Department of Angels, eight in ten Eaton Fire families remain displaced nearly a year after the fire, with most running out of housing funds. Coalition leaders said families cannot move recovery forward while they do not know where they will sleep next month.
The coalition is led by the Eaton Fire Survivors Network, the Eaton Fire Collaborative Leadership Council, the Clergy Community Coalition, and the Altadena Town Council. Together, they represent more than 10,000 survivors, more than 200 nonprofit organizations, more than 150 faith leaders, and the 40,000 residents of Altadena, the community most heavily impacted by the fire.
The California Community Foundation is an early endorser of the coalition, providing philanthropic leadership on urgent housing relief and underscoring the risks prolonged displacement poses to long-term recovery.
A
Los Angeles Times investigation headlined “
It’s effectively a bailout” reported that Edison has been allowed to shift the full cost of settlements above the Wildfire Fund onto ratepayers, while families bear the immediate harm. State law gives Edison control over what it pays survivors and ensures the company has the financial backing to do so without delay. Nothing in that system prevents Edison from advancing housing support now.
In October, regulators approved a rate hike expected to generate nearly $1 billion a year for Edison, along with close to $1 billion in retroactive payments. These state decisions has resulted in
sharply higher profits for the company, even as displaced survivors run out of housing funds
Edison protected, profits up, families left behind
“We are not here in anger. We are here in love for our community,” said Joy Chen, Executive Director of the Eaton Fire Survivors Network (EFSN). “When a company’s fire destroys or contaminates homes, that company has a responsibility to keep families housed until they can get back home.”
The coalition is asking Edison to advance temporary housing support now against obligations it already owes. Coalition leaders described the situation as a cash-flow problem: Edison has liquidity and state-backed protections, while displaced families are running out of options. Nearly one year after the fire, families say they have received no housing support from Edison at all.
“Every other California investor-owned utility advanced emergency housing relief after causing a wildfire, even without these protections,” Chen said. “Through the Wildfire Fund, state-approved rate hikes, and nearly one billion dollars in back pay, Californians have absorbed Edison’s wildfire risk. Edison is reporting
sharply higher profits, while survivors — who are also ratepayers — are bearing the cost of this fire in real time.”
Fire-driven rent spikes leave families unable to stay housed
Before the fire, Altadena was one of the region’s more affordable communities, with average rents around $1,792 and county rent stabilization helping limit sudden increases, according to the
Eaton Fire Collaborative Housing Impact Survey.
That changed after the fire destroyed or contaminated thousands of homes, sharply reducing local housing supply. Displaced families entered one of the tightest rental markets in the country, where rents doubled or tripled in the months following the fire.
Department of Angels
research shows that nearly a year later, most survivors remain in temporary or unstable housing because they cannot afford post-fire rents. More than one in three families are expected to be forced to move again within months as remaining housing funds run out.
“The Eaton Fire collapsed the housing market our community depended on,” said Lisa Odigie, a total-loss survivor and leader with the Eaton Fire Collaborative. “Before the fire, rents averaged around $1,800 a month. After the fire, they jumped to $4,000 to $6,000 — before deposits, duplicate utilities, storage, transportation, and childcare. Most renters and more than half of homeowners simply cannot afford today’s market.”
Survivors say housing instability halts recovery
Survivors described how the lack of housing stability has brought recovery to a standstill.
“I lost three family homes, including one we renovated with our own hands over five years,” said Damon Blount, speaking alongside his wife Audra. “I also lost the truck I relied on for my recycling work, which I did nights and weekends to put our daughters through college. Edison’s compensation plan does not come close to covering what we lost. Housing relief is what would allow families like mine to stay housed while rebuilding.”
“When my rental burned, I lost everything, including $80,000 in plumbing tools and my entire livelihood,” said Gabriel Gonzalez, an Eaton Fire survivor and owner of American Pipe Dream Plumbing Company. “I’ve been living in my car since the fire. Keeping people housed while claims move forward is what makes recovery possible.”
Faith leaders warn displacement is unraveling the community
Faith leaders said the same housing instability is visible week after week across congregations.
“The Eaton Fire did not just destroy homes. It destroyed affordability,” said Pastor Amara Ononiwu, Eaton Fire Recovery Director for the Clergy Community Coalition. “This fire devastated one of the region’s last historically redlined communities. Rents soared after the fire, forcing families to move away and triggering cascading effects, including the shrinking of schools, congregations, neighborhood networks, and the support systems recovery depends on.”
“When families are rendered homeless, responsibility does not disappear,” said Bishop Charles Dorsey of Lifeline Fellowship Christian Center. “Keeping families housed is not charity. It is an obligation. We call on Edison to fulfill its civic, legal, and moral responsibility to the community it harmed, so recovery can truly begin.”
Coalition says only Edison can close the housing gap
Edison’s Wildfire Recovery Compensation Plan (WRCP) is the company’s program for compensating Eaton Fire survivors outside of court. Two independent analyses by survivor groups (
here and
here) found that the WRCP is not designed to keep families housed or move recovery forward. The reviews concluded that the plan systematically excludes renters, smoke-damaged households, and other vulnerable families, relies on pre-fire assumptions that do not reflect post-fire reality, and provides housing assistance far below current market rents, leaving many families displaced.
“The plan requires families to permanently waive their legal rights in order to access housing assistance,” said Andrew Wessels, Strategy Director for the Eaton Fire Survivors Network. “That is not a path to recovery. If families are pushed to give up what they are owed just to survive, the recovery will never have the funds required to rebuild homes, restore livelihoods, or stabilize the community.”
The Department of Angels’
October 2025 survey documents the broader impact of prolonged displacement. Forty-three percent of survivors report depleting most or all of their savings, and 41% have taken on new debt. Seventy-three percent report worsening mental health as repeated moves and uncertainty continue.
“This crisis requires action beyond philanthropy alone,” said Miguel Santana, President and CEO of the California Community Foundation. “Many Eaton Fire survivors face an especially precarious reality, at risk of losing housing before they can return home. Those responsible for this disaster have the duty—and the scale and resources—to close the critical cash-flow gap. Without immediate relief, permanent displacement will reshape this community for generations.”
Leaders say housing relief must be separated from compensation
Senator Sasha Renée Pérez said emergency housing relief must be separated from long-term compensation.
“There should be no strings attached to providing much-needed emergency housing to Eaton Fire survivors who are still displaced and suffering trauma. Emergency housing relief must be kept entirely separate from any settlement process. While SCE’s program includes funds for temporary housing, it’s limited and inadequate. Survivors should never be forced to choose between having a safe place to live and preserving their legal rights.”
“When families are required to permanently waive their legal rights just to access housing, the recovery loses the funds needed to rebuild,” Pérez said. “Housing relief should meet immediate needs without sacrificing the future.”
Local leaders said the path forward is clear.
“Housing relief is essential to keeping this community intact,” said Kim Yu, a total-loss survivor and member of the Altadena Town Council. “Without it, recovery cannot move forward.”
Coalition leaders are calling on Edison to advance temporary housing support without legal waivers and to keep families housed until they can safely return home. Community members and organizations across Los Angeles are invited to join the coalition at
edisonrelief.org.
Current Coalition Members
The coalition is expanding as more organizations add their voices to support urgent housing relief. Here is the current list. For the latest updates, visit
edisonrelief.org
