Publication
New Financial Relief for Displaced LA Households: LA County Household Relief Grant and Governor Newsom’s $125 Million Mortgage Relief Package
By Ava Freund, Sarah Richards, and Joshua Schneiderman
Households impacted by the Los Angeles fires may be eligible for two new financial relief programs announced by Los Angeles County and the state of California this month.
On February 14, 2025, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors launched the LA County Household Relief Grant to distribute $32.2 million of immediate financial relief to households displaced by the Eaton and Pacific Palisades fires. Aimed at bridging the financial gaps between insurance and other government recovery, the grants range from $6,000 to $18,000, depending on household size and composition. These grants can be used for essential expenses, including housing and living costs, funeral expenses, and repairs not covered by other forms of assistance. Los Angeles residents who were physically displaced by the Eaton or Palisades fires may qualify for the program and can access its webpage to determine eligibility, as well as seek online or in-person application assistance. Applications opened on February 26, 2025, and are available online until March 12, 2025.
In a related effort, $125 million in mortgage relief was proposed by Governor Newsom on February 19, 2025, and approved by the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) on February 20, 2025. The relief package includes:
- $100 million of direct mortgage relief for homeowners at risk of foreclosure who have had their property destroyed or substantially damaged by nationally declared disasters since 2023, including, but not limited to, those affected by the recent Los Angeles fires; and
- $25 million allocated to extend the existing National Mortgage Settlement housing counseling program, with services like mortgage counseling and guidance on FEMA disaster assistance.
CalHFA aims to launch the program by May 2025. Further details and eligibility requirements for the program are not yet available. For mortgage relief in the interim, impacted homeowners may qualify for a 90-day pause on mortgage payments, as announced by Governor Newsom last month.
Implications and Takeaways
Relief efforts for the Los Angeles fires continue to evolve. Households affected by the fires may want to consider staying informed, gathering documentation, and applying early to secure assistance from these new financial relief programs and others as they become available.
Snell & Wilmer will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available.
About Snell & Wilmer
Founded in 1938, Snell & Wilmer is a full-service business law firm with more than 500 attorneys practicing in 17 locations throughout the United States and in Mexico, including Los Angeles, Orange County, Palo Alto and San Diego, California; Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; Washington, D.C.; Boise, Idaho; Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Portland, Oregon; Dallas, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; Seattle, Washington; and Los Cabos, Mexico. The firm represents clients ranging from large, publicly traded corporations to small businesses, individuals and entrepreneurs. For more information, visit swlaw.com.
