Red Cross Provides $17M+ to Families Affected by 2025 California Wildfires

Two women, one older wearing black baseball cap, one younger wearing gray baseball cap

1 of 2

Roxy DeCou is a Palisades resident whose home was damaged first by smoke and ash, and again by landslides in the burn zone. Upon receiving remediation services, she shared: "I am overwhelmed. I felt so alone, but I don't feel alone today."

Woman in Red Cross vest cleans a bedroom

2 of 2

Members of the Red Cross Long-Term Recovery team worked alongside Hope Crisis Response Network volunteers to scrub and sterilize Roxy DeCou’s home and vacuum up dust and debris. Outside, teams worked to move boulders and earth that built up in the yard, pushed by the landslide. Hope Crisis Response Network has partnered with the Red Cross during multiple disasters and received Red Cross grant funding to purchase tools and expand their capacity.

April 29, 2025

Additional financial assistance part of Long-Term Recovery activities
in Los Angeles County for the Eaton and Palisades Fires

The American Red Cross has begun providing additional financial assistance for people impacted by the Palisades and Eaton Fires in California earlier this year. This program was made possible by the generosity of donors from across the country who supported the 2025 California Wildfires disaster relief operation.

On the first day alone, the Red Cross committed $1.3M in direct financial assistance, with 594 households (1,797 individuals) already applying. As of Monday, April 28, more than $17M has been disbursed to 5,372 households (15,244 individuals) and that number is only expected to grow as in-person enrollment sites open across Los Angeles starting April 29, where caseworkers will be onsite help people apply in person.

The timing of this financial assistance seeks to bridge the gap between the response phase and before community recovery programs are in place to provide direct financial assistance to households with ongoing needs whose homes were confirmed to have been destroyed or sustained major damage from the event.

The program is part of a larger suite of Long-Term Recovery activities which began earlier this year for communities affected by the fires. In addition to the Bridge program, broader recovery efforts are underway, addressing challenges such as extensive smoke and ash damage to homes still standing.

The Red Cross Long-Term Recovery team has provided a grant to Radio Bilingue to support the development and broadcast of Spanish messaging to affected populations. The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank received a grant to build capacity and support for the food bank and its more than 600 partners to distribute both food and non-food items to impacted communities.

211LA is another grant recipient, given to support those displaced by the fires as they navigate housing and other critical resources. In partnership with Hope Crisis Response Network, we are addressing critical housing challenges by providing smoke and ash remediation and roof repairs for homes affected by the fires, prioritizing those with the least recovery resources.

Through this additional round of financial assistance and recovery partnerships, the Red Cross stands committed to supporting wildfire survivors and their communities as they continue on the road to recovery.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.