Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced over $8 million in initial housing assistance federal funding is coming to the Los Angeles area and California from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Rapid Unsheltered Survivor Housing (RUSH) program. RUSH, distributed under the Housing and Urban Development Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program, provides emergency grant funding to state and local governments to support emergency shelter operations, rental assistance, relocation costs, and supportive services for individuals and families who are unhoused or at risk of homelessness. The funds can be used to support people displaced due to recent wildfires and those who were experiencing homelessness before.
RUSH funding will ensure that people, regardless of housing status before the fires, can receive federal assistance for transitional housing. The grants will also cover street outreach services and other homelessness prevention work.
“This funding will provide much-needed relief for residents who are struggling to get back on their feet after the recent wildfires across Los Angeles, as well as those who have been experiencing homelessness,” said Senator Schiff. “These resources will ensure our local governments can help families and individuals without housing move forward as our communities begin to rebuild.”
“The catastrophic ongoing wildfires have reduced entire communities to rubble, leaving thousands of Angelenos without homes,” said Senator Padilla. “This initial federal funding provides urgent support to help address housing insecurity for those affected by the fires. The road to recovery will be long, but I will keep fighting for additional resources to support at-risk families and provide safe, stable housing as we rebuild.”
Schiff and Padilla have been outspoken in requesting federal support for those impacted by the wildfires. They will continue to work on securing additional funding for wildfire relief.
Below is a breakdown of the initial allocation of RUSH funds:
- $3,000,000 for the State of California
- $1,000,000 for Los Angeles County
- $1,000,000 for the City of Los Angeles
- $1,000,000 for the City of Pasadena
- $1,000,000 for the City of Pomona
- $1,000,000 for the City of Long Beach
- $409,957 for the City of Glendale