LOS ANGELES — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday, May 12, announced that more than 1,000 Los Angeles-area firestorm survivors have received mortgage assistance through the state’s expanded CalAssist Mortgage Fund program.
According to the governor’s office, more than 1,100 disaster survivors have signed up for the program since it was expanded to provide up to $100,000 in mortgage payments over 12 months for homeowners recovering from disasters including the 2025 Los Angeles-area fires.
The CalAssist Mortgage Fund, administered by the California Housing Finance Agency, launched in June 2025 to provide direct mortgage assistance to homeowners whose primary residences were destroyed or severely damaged in qualifying disasters.
Under the expanded program, eligible homeowners can receive up to one year of mortgage payments made directly to mortgage servicers, a significant increase from the previous three-month benefit, officials said. The maximum benefit also increased from $20,000 to $100,000.
Assistance is available to homeowners who are current on payments, in forbearance or behind on their mortgages.
Combined, the fires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena that erupted on Jan. 7, 2025, killed at least 31 people, destroyed some 16,000 structures and displaced thousands of residents.
“California is committed to ensuring disaster survivors can actually access relief directly,” Newsom said in a statement.
“I’m proud this expanded program has now helped more than 1,100 families by providing a full year of mortgage assistance that never has to be paid back,” he added.
State officials said 96% of homeowners who had previously received three months of assistance applied for the expanded 12-month benefit.
Among those receiving assistance was Altadena public school teacher Ana Robles, who said the additional mortgage relief would help her focus on rebuilding after the fires.
“I couldn’t believe it, I was so excited,” Robles said. “I immediately thought about my finances and how this assistance would relieve so much stress in my life. Now, I can focus on rebuilding in the community I have called home for 46 years.”
The program recently increased income eligibility limits for Los Angeles County homeowners to $281,400 annually.
Officials said the mortgage assistance program has distributed $39.4 million to 1,155 households statewide.
Homeowners whose primary residences were destroyed or severely damaged between Jan. 1, 2023, and Jan. 8, 2025, may be eligible for the grants, according to the governor’s office.