The city of Los Angeles has launched an online tool to help people affected by recent wildfires by simplifying the task of applying for assistance.
The LA Disaster Relief Navigator is intended to highlight resources available to those whose lives were impacted by this year’s wildfires. After filling out a simple questionnaire, residents are directed to local, state and federal programs for essential goods, disaster relief, insurance assistance, home damage repair and other services.
“Angelenos are continuing to navigate grief and shock. My commitment is to do everything we can to get people the help they need as conveniently as possible,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement announcing the website.
Last month, the Federal Emergency Management Agency opened disaster recovery centers in Los Angeles County to provide in-person assistance to wildfire victims who had questions about their next steps.
The online tool will provide some of that same information, which can can be difficult to find for anyone unable to visit a disaster recovery center in person.
The navigator is a partnership between the Los Angeles Mayor’s Fund, Better Angels and Imagine L.A. Support also comes from the Annenberg Foundation and the R&S Kayne Foundation.
The Los Angeles Mayor’s Fund is a nonprofit started under former Mayor Eric Garcetti. Better Angels bills itself as a nonprofit that aims to take a “holistic approach to tackle the homelessness crisis” and Imagine L.A. is a nonprofit that describes itself as an “organization dedicated to ending the cycle of family homelessness and chronic poverty.”
The navigator can be found at wildfires.betterangels.la.
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