211 LA Emerged as Lifeline for Wildfire Survivors. Now It’s Launching a New Coalition to Prepare for the Next Disaster
When the Eaton Fire swept through Altadena, the Quiroz family lost everything.
Unable to provide shelter for their six young children, Jessica and Furmencio Quiroz turned to 211 LA, which immediately placed them in temporary housing through a partnership with Airbnb.
Initially designed for short-term housing, their stay was extended once it became clear they could not return home. Over time, 211 LA provided the family with care coordination, including helping them secure cash assistance, school supplies, food vouchers and clothes. The Quiroz family is now working to rebuild their home and return to Altadena.
211 LA Executive Director Maribel Marin said the experience shows that “the reality of recovery for families is a long journey, and it requires flexible resources and trusted partnerships, but above all, sustained care.”
“If we had left them after that first Airbnb extended stay and said, ‘OK, well, good luck’, they wouldn’t have received the long-term care and benefits that we get from having our other partners,” Marin said.
In the aftermath of the catastrophic 2025 wildfires, 211 LA emerged as a critical player on the frontlines of disaster response, guiding over 54,000 displaced households through loss and uncertainty. As wildfires forced mass evacuations and upended lives across Los Angeles County, 211 LA fielded tens of thousands of calls and texts, offering immediate assistance and long-term care coordination.
211 LA’s role last year extended beyond emergency shelter and crisis response. The group provided multilingual updates on changing evacuation zones, air quality and available shelters, with special outreach for older adults, people with disabilities and medically fragile residents affected by power outages. Partnerships with utilities and community agencies ensured that no resident was left behind.
In the chaotic days after the fires erupted, California Community Foundation made its largest single emergency grant to 211 LA from its Wildfire Recovery Fund.
“211 LA was at the center of the response—the front door to recovery,” said Miguel A. Santana, CCF President and CEO. “Providing real-time, multilingual information and referrals across housing, food, health care and financial assistance, they made a complex system navigable, at a moment when people had no margin for confusion.”
The unprecedented scale of the 2025 wildfires brought hard lessons, spurring 211 LA to reimagine its approach to disaster recovery.
Marin recently announced the launch of the Crisis Care Plan Alliance, a coalition uniting public agencies, nonprofits, businesses and philanthropy. Founding members include Airbnb.org, Falck, and Belmont Village Senior Living – partners who expand countywide readiness and recovery capabilities.
“The reality is that disasters are an ongoing part of life in Los Angeles County, and we have to be prepared,” Marin said. “Coordination matters. This alliance is about strengthening our relationships and communication together so survivors never have to navigate recovery alone.”
The Alliance doesn’t replace existing emergency systems but complements them, allowing 211 LA to offer immediate, personalized support rather than simply referring overwhelmed people to multiple agencies. It is supported by partner contributions and in-kind services, not tax revenue, with regular external audits to ensure transparency and accountability. 211 LA remains contracted for disaster response by Los Angeles County. For transparency, the Alliance will undergo external audits, with results and improvements shared publicly.
Since the 2025 wildfires, more than 40% of fire-impacted households have sought guidance from 211 LA. The majority of callers cited the acute lack of affordable replacement housing as their most pressing obstacle. The most requested services were to meet basic needs, including income assistance, clothing, household items and food.
The Eaton Fire upended the lives of Leo Ramirez and his mother, Teresa and their extended family. Everything was consumed by the flames: their homes, vehicles and the sense of stability they had built over decades. For days, the family slept in their cars, reeling from shock and grief.
“Their homes were wiped out completely,” Marin said. “The family’s entire foothold in the community was gone in a matter of hours.”
It was 211 LA that helped the Ramirez family and thousands like them take their first steps toward recovery. The organization connected them to housing, Red Cross and FEMA support and also provided donated furniture and resources to restore “normalcy, comfort, and human dignity,” Marin said.
In all, roughly 15,000 residents were referred to temporary housing through partners such as Airbnb.org and Hilton, with more than 7,000 people receiving direct housing assistance. 211 LA’s Wildfire Care Coordination Program provides ongoing support to nearly 4,000 particularly vulnerable households, a third of whom are large families.
The post-fire needs that remain are vast. According to the latest survey by the Department of Angels, more than 70% of survivors have not returned home; 83% say their mental health has worsened; and almost half report that they’ve depleted much of their savings.
For 45 years, 211 LA has been a steadfast presence in Los Angeles County—quietly operating as a safety net for those in need. But after the devastating megafires of 2025, its work has never been more visible, urgent or vital, Santana said.
“When everything felt uncertain, they offered what people needed most – a calm voice, clear information and reassurance that someone cared,” he said. “The fires tested Los Angeles – but they also revealed the power of collective care. When we invest in people and systems together, we don’t just recover – we rise.”
– Ben Poston