In a move to broaden assistance after recent wildfires, California has raised the income cap for families seeking mortgage relief through the CalAssist program, as announced by Governor Gavin Newsom; Los Angeles County households now earning up to $211,050 are eligible. The CalAssist Mortgage Fund, which is state-funded and managed by the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA), provides up to $20,000 in grants for mortgage payments to homeowners whose residences were significantly impacted by disasters between January 1, 2023, and January 8, 2025.
The program's recent expansion stems from ongoing discussions with local leaders to adapt successful elements and focus on practical results, this income threshold rise is expected to embrace thousands more homeowners ravaged by fires in the Los Angeles region, allowing them to rebuild their lives and starters, a home is required to be the applicant's primary residence and must have been destroyed or severely damaged by named disasters such as the Eaton Fire or the Palisades Fire.
Previously, Governor Newsom had signed a bipartisan package of bills aimed at bolstering LA's rebuilding and recovery efforts post-wildfires; measures taken now have become a blueprint for future disaster response, ensuring standardized protection across the board for all survivors—a continuous commitment mirrored in today's mortgage relief extension. The Governor's office highlighted the swift and comprehensive action taken in collaboration with federal authorities, including a timely Presidential Major Disaster Declaration and the historic pace of public debris removal, which served as a testament to the responsive efforts to aid in the restoration of normalcy in disaster-stricken communities.
First responders and recovery personnel numbering 16,000 were deployed, $2.57 billion in Small Business Administration Assistance was approved, an individual assistance amounting to $159 million was disbursed, hazardous waste from homes was cleared within 30 days, and all schools and water systems resumed normal operations.
