Six Months Later, Recovery in Crisis: What 2,000 Fire Survivors Told Us
Six months after the January fires devastated parts of Los Angeles County, survivors are still navigating an uneven and uncertain recovery. To better understand the most pressing needs across impacted communities, the Department of Angels partnered with Embold Research for the second quarterly installment of Community Voices: LA Fire Recovery Report – the only statistically significant needs assessment of fire survivors across the region.
Between June 3 and 11, nearly 2,000 residents of Altadena, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre participated in this survey. Their experiences offer a clear picture of the challenges ahead. While there’s been some progress, the data is clear: recovery is in crisis.
Survivors continue to face mass displacement, housing instability, prolonged insurance battles, and unresolved environmental safety concerns. These issues are not just individual setbacks — they jeopardize the region’s recovery far beyond the fire-impacted communities.
These compounding challenges create a domino effect that, if left unaddressed, will gravely impact communities over time. Survivors are unable to rebuild or return home safely because of insurance delays, denials, and underpayments, and urgent concerns about environmental health and safety. Low- and moderate-income families are hit hardest, forced to choose between repairing or rebuilding their homes and paying for essential living costs like food and childcare.
These barriers threaten to erode community cohesion, strain local governments, and drain philanthropic and public resources. Population loss, shrinking tax bases, and deepening inequities also reverberate well beyond the burn areas, threatening the long-term health of Greater Los Angeles and the state as a whole.
Amid the challenges, one steady source of strength has emerged as a consistent and reliable support: community. Survivors are turning to neighbors, local leaders, and survivor-led networks as trusted anchors in an otherwise disjointed system.
Mass Displacement at Risk of Snowballing
Just one in five Altadena residents and one in ten Pacific Palisades residents have returned to their pre-fire homes, highlighting persistent barriers to recovery six months after the fires. Only about half of those displaced are living in a stable housing situation, and one in four displaced survivors expect to move again in the next few months, after having already relocated multiple times.
This crisis of mass displacement is at risk of snowballing as insurance coverage is depleted and deferred bills come due over the next year. A year from now, 6 in 10 displaced residents will have no remaining coverage for temporary housing costs – not due to time limits, but because high rents in the LA region are exhausting coverage quickly. In an already strained housing market, skyrocketing rents are accelerating the collapse of survivors’ safety nets.
We are underinsured and the rebuild process sounds like it will take 2-3 years. Trying to afford rent and mortgage will be a challenge. Support from FEMA or some organization with rent would go a long way. – Altadena man, homeowner
These overlapping pressures have left many survivors uncertain about whether they can stay in their communities — or worse. Already, 5% of Altadena survivors are unhoused or between places.
Insurance Challenges Are Destabilizing Recovery
For the majority of homeowners, insurance has become a significant obstacle in their recovery journey. Only 1 in 4 who suffered severe damage or total loss have had their claims fully approved. The most common issues include delays, denied claims, underpayments, and complicated processes that stretch on for months.
[My experience with insurance has included] poor communication, slow responses. Biggest concern is the insurance company refusing to pay for lead contaminated items in the house. – Pacific Palisades man, renter
Experiences vary significantly by provider, with 93% of California FAIR Plan policyholders and 82% of State Farm customers reporting negative experiences, compared to 82% positive experiences with USAA. Still, across insurance providers, many survivors continue to face challenges, especially when it comes to the burdensome process of itemizing personal property losses. Survivors report spending hundreds of hours on this task alone, with uncertain outcomes.
We are with California FAIR Plan. It has been and still is a very frustrating process. The concern is their lack of reviewing and paying for repair so we can get back to our home. – Malibu woman, homeowner
These challenges accessing existing coverage are contributing to longer displacement, deep financial strain, and delays in rebuilding timelines. Facing tough choices with limited resources, many survivors are left with no choice but to return to homes before they can fully remediate damage, or confirm lack of contamination.
Survivors Call for Action on Environmental Health & Safety
A vast majority (84%) of respondents believe their homes or properties may be contaminated by fire residue — but more than 1 in 3 have not been able to access testing. Most of the testing that has occurred was arranged privately, at significant personal cost.
Knowing the area is environmentally safe and free from toxins and that we will have proper safety precautions in the area [are factors that most influence my decision to return]. – Pacific Palisades woman, renter
Residents across communities voiced strong support for free, coordinated testing and cleanup efforts, emphasizing the importance of transparent, science-backed standards and accessible remediation options. Without these, many survivors say they do not feel safe returning home.
Community Remains a Lifeline
Despite everything, one thing has stayed consistent: the power of community. Survivors turn first to neighbors, local leaders, and survivor-led groups to get help, find information, and feel less alone. These connections are holding communities together.
Time spent together as a family gives us comfort. Spending time with friends impacted by the fires gives us comfort. Life has moved on for everyone else, and [they] have become insensitive to the continuing struggles we face. – Pacific Palisades woman, homeowner
Strengthening the networks of mutual support is more important now than ever. Over 3 in 4 survivors say their mental health has worsened since the fires. Being displaced carries the deepest emotional cost, with more than 80% of those still out of their homes reporting a decline in mental health, and a striking 44% describing their mental health as “much worse.”
How the Department of Angels Is Responding
This survey and analysis represent the Department of Angels’ mission in action: turning direct feedback from survivors into actionable insights that inform policy solutions, strengthen recovery, and center the needs of those most affected.
We’re taking several targeted actions to help address the urgent needs outlined in this report, including:
Unlocking federal recovery funds. We’re working to advance federal appropriations and other sources of recovery funding — and coordinating with local and state government to ensure those resources are distributed effectively.
Strengthening insurance accountability and access. In addition to supporting efforts aimed at ensuring survivor policyholders are made whole, we’ve convened the Finance & Insurance Solutions Working Group to recommend longer-term reforms that make fire insurance more sustainable, fair, and accessible.
Supporting environmental health protections. We’re collaborating with public health leaders, academic researchers, and grassroots partners to push for coordinated, government-backed soil testing and remediation for survivors who need it, alongside initiatives like the LA Fire HEALTH Study, CAP.LA, and USC CLEAN.
Accelerating housing and rebuilding solutions. We’re translating community input into practical proposals to make rebuilding faster and more affordable, including alternative construction methods and streamlined permitting.
Backing community-based recovery networks. We’re helping strengthen and fund neighborhood response networks, block captain programs, and local peer support organizations — the systems survivors turn to first.
A Recovery That Reflects Community Voices
The Department of Angels is an independent nonprofit formed in the immediate aftermath of the January 2025 fires. Connecting community-based organizations, government officials, civic leaders, and subject-matter experts, we work to make sure fire-impacted communities can lead their own recovery — on their terms — with the support, resources, and information they need to thrive.
We will continue to share regular updates as we collect more critical information from survivors and community organizations on the frontlines. These insights are a roadmap for building a smarter and more equitable recovery.
Together, we can help communities not only recover — but emerge more connected and better prepared for the future.
