Community Resources for Families Impacted by Wildfires

*Last updated Jan. 17, 2025

The wildfires are impacting many families across Los Angeles County and beyond. Below we are compiling a list of resources for families with little ones or for people looking for ways to help.

Start Here

• Remain informed with the latest updates on evacuation orders, school closures, utilities outages, and essential services with 211 LA’s Wildfire page.
• Cal FIRE is updating maps daily to indicate the results of their address-by-address inspections, including specific maps for the Eaton and the Palisades fires.
• Mutual Aid LA Network (MALAN) is maintaining a comprehensive list of resources available to those affected by the fires that includes prepared meals, shelter, animal boarding, workspaces, and everything in between. MALAN, a connector and information hub for mutual aid efforts, people and resources across Los Angeles, is updating the list with new resources or calls for volunteers and donations regularly. Volunteer calls right now include delivery services, meal preparation and emergency kit assembly.
• This Eaton Fire page offers a downloadable recovery resource guide and much more information relevant to residents in this area.

How to Talk to Kids About Wildfires

Food and Essentials

• The Childcare Resource Center (CCRC) families and providers in need of critical supplies like food, personal hygiene products, baby items, and kitchen supplies can call the donation line at (805)-399-9521 to arrange a pick-up time.
• Baby2Baby is offering diapers, formula, hygiene products, and more, and accepting donations on its website.
• South LA Cafe is collecting, distributing and organizing volunteers to provide food, water, baby formula, clothes, masks and so much more in South L.A. for families impacted by the fires.
• Many restaurants throughout the region are opening their doors to families and first responders with free food and free goods. Roy Choi is mobilizing his Kogi BBQ food trucks and collaborating with World Central Kitchen to feed evacuees and first responders at various meal distribution sites; Love Hour in Koreatown is taking donation drop-offs and distributing throughout the weekend; Timeout is updating its ongoing list of restaurants offering free meals.
• Karing Advocates United for Social Equality (KAUSE) is offering essentials like diapers and hygiene products to families with babies and toddlers at their Ladera Heights location. They are accepting drop-off essentials or monetary donations.
• The Los Angeles Urban League and New Revelation Church have partnered to host a week-long HELP Center to provide relief for the victims of the catastrophic Eaton Fire in Altadena. The center is offering essential supplies, including water, blankets, hygiene products, clothing, gift cards, and grab-and-go meals generously donated by local restaurants for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Open daily 9:00 a.m.- 9:00 p.m. at New Revelation Baptist Church, 855 N. Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91103.
• The L.A. Wildfire Stuffed Animal Recovery List is a shared document created to help parents and children impacted by the wildfires recover lost or rare stuffed animals that hold sentimental value.

Housing

The California Endowment is offering a reminder that everyone is welcome at emergency shelters and your immigration status does not matter.

• Airbnb.org is offering free temporary housing for residents who have lost their homes or are under evacuation orders. Find eligibility and important details here.
• The California Department of Insurance has compiled 10 tips for people who are filing wildfire claims. This is also a great checklist to help residents prepare the correct documentation in their emergency kits.

Unemployment

• Check the state’s Employment Development Department (EDD) for unemployment assistance eligibility if work hours or self-employment was reduced because of the wildfires.

Pets

• Best Friends Animal Society is assisting in the evacuation of pets and coordinating fostering. They are asking for support in purchasing supplies from their wish list and via temporary foster families for pets.
• Compton Cowboys is rescuing horses in evacuation zones. They are available at (310) 763-4120 or contact@comptoncowboys.com. For emergency evacuation and assistance message @randysavvy on Instagram.
• The Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank is offering emergency shelter and has more than 300 horses under its care and is looking for donations toward these efforts. Contact them at (818) 840-9063.
• Pierce College Equestrian Center in Woodland Hills is offering emergency shelter for horses. Contact them at (818) 710-3308.

Resources to Help You Navigate the L.A. Wildfires

Mental Health

• A group of more than 400 therapists is offering pro bono sessions, most of them virtual, to those affected by the wildfires. This list includes their availability, the services they offer, and contact information.
• Latinx Therapy, a network of Latine therapists, is providing updates, resources and information to events, such as virtual grief support circles, for those impacted by the wildfires.
• Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH): Offers crisis counseling and mental health services. Call their 24/7 helpline at 1-800-854-7771 or text "LA" to 741741.
• BrightLife Kids and Soluna are free mental health support apps for kids. BrighLife is tailored to kids 0-12 years old, while Soluna is designed for ages 13-25 and available in 19 languages.
• Los Angeles Unified students and families in need of mental health support are encouraged to call our Student and Family Wellness Resource Line at 213-241-3840. Support is currently available between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Recovery

• Loti is a website created by group of seasoned adjusters, skilled technologists, creative designers, and homeowners who have experienced similar disasters. Free offerings include free content on emergency planning, evacuation, guides for construction and rebuild management checklists.
• "How to Disaster" is a podcast that focuses on the stories of individuals from public, private and non-profit sectors that have encountered a disaster, and how they have navigated the challenges of climate-based disasters.
• The Environmental Protection Agency created a factsheet on Protecting Children from Wildfire Smoke and Ash.

Emergency Preparedness

• This Toolkit for individuals with with disabilities by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and the California Department of Rehabilitation offers tips and particular items to pack, broken down by different types of needs.
• With power outages lasting for several days in many areas, FEMA's How to prepare for a power outage resources has great tips to prepare before, how to react during and what to do after an extended outage. Cal FIRE's Go! Evacuation Guide also includes a section what to do if the power goes out.

Child Care and Camps

• L.A. County is offering free day camps for children ages 5-17 from homes under mandatory evacuation or otherwise significantly impacted by the fires. The camps will provide youth and teens with a supportive space for fun and recreation including music, arts and crafts, sports activities and field trips to the L.A. County Natural History Museum, La Brea Tar Pits, Dodger Stadium, and more. Breakfast, snacks, and lunch will be provided daily; teens will also get supper. Open Monday through Friday from Jan. 13-31, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (7 p.m. for teens). More information and registration here.
• YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles is opening its locations that aren't affected by the fires for temporary shelter, showers, basic amenities, and mental health support. They have also teamed up with L.A. Unified School District to provide childcare services for essential workers and affected families until schools reopen. Register on their website. 
• Project Camp offers trauma-informed care for children impacted by disasters. Pop-up camps opened in West L.A., Eagle Rock, and Santa Barbara, and have been extended into the week of Jan. 20. Find the latest information on their Instagram page.

Educators and Care Providers

• Helping Children Become Resilient: A Guide for Educators - This guide shows how educators can use the "Shelter from the Storm" and "April 9th" ARTHUR episodes to create effective school activities and programs that will help kids cope with unexpected events.
• Los Angeles-based child psychologist Ashley Reid wrote this storybook as a resource to help parents and caregivers explain the L.A. wildfires in a way that is both developmentally appropriate and supportive. The story is editable on Canva if anyone wants to personalize it and print, and it includes links to videos that help frame the story.
• The California Department of Education (CDE)’s wildfires page includes the American Red Cross and Ready.org to help understand how to respond to a wildfire and what to do after.
• [UPDATE: Maya has reached capacity for now but will re-open requests.] Maya Lê of MaiStoryBook wants to help classroom teachers affected by the wildfires to rebuild their classroom and home libraries. Email her at maistorybook@gmail.com with the subject line: LA Teacher Library or LA Family Library.
• The California Department of Education's Management Bulletin 18-04 provides guidance on the enrollment of families who are experiencing homelessness.
• The UCLA Pritzker Center held an informative session for therapists, social workers, teachers, health care workers, lawyers, and more on Supporting Children with Professional Skills for Talking About Wildfires Together. Dr. Melissa Brymer, director of terrorism and disaster programs at the UCLA-Duke National Center for Child Traumatic Stress and an expert on how children deal with stress following disasters, discussed how to talk with children and families about the wildfires. Watch a recording of the session on YouTube.
• A variety of resources from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network are available for caregivers, many in multiple languages:
  
  • Helping Young Children with Traumatic Grief: Tips for Caregivers
  • Helping School-Age Children with Traumatic Grief: Tips for Caregivers
  • Helping Teens with Traumatic Grief: Tips for Caregivers
  • Simple Evacuation Activities for Children and Adolescents
• The state's Department of Social Services (CDSS) encourages licensed child care providers to sign upfor Everbridge Emergency Notification System for direct communication about disasters and emergencies.

If you have any additional resources that need to be amplified, please email cpineda@pbssocal.org.