FEMA Transitional Sheltering Assistance Available for Los Angeles County Residents

LOS ANGELES – FEMA and the state of California are working to ensure that displaced survivors of the Los Angeles wildfires have access to safe, accessible temporary shelter. Reimbursement for out-of-pocket hotel costs, financial assistance towards rent and home repair and FEMA-provided temporary hotel or motel stays are currently being provided to eligible households. 

Renters and homeowners who have already applied for disaster assistance may be eligible to stay temporarily in a hotel or motel paid for by FEMA through the Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) Program. This program is offered to enable displaced residents to work on their interim housing plan.

Affected residents do not need to request this assistance. FEMA will notify them of their eligibility through an automated phone call, text message, and/or email depending on the method of communication selected at the time of application for disaster assistance. 

TSA is a temporary program intended to provide short-term lodging for eligible disaster survivors whose primary residence is uninhabitable or inaccessible because of the disaster and are not covered by insurance additional living expenses or loss of use. Eligible applicants sign a terms and conditions document confirming their eligibility end date when they check into a participating hotel.

Under the TSA program, FEMA pays the cost of room, taxes, and non-refundable pet fees directly to participating hotels and motels. Survivors are responsible for all other costs, including laundry, restaurant/room service, parking, telephone, or movie rental. 

Continued eligibility is determined on an individual basis. When eligibility ends, survivors will be notified by FEMA seven days prior to checkout date. TSA is limited to participating hotels and motels. Applicants must refer to the TSA Locator to find a hotel, which will be visible to them when they go to DisasterAssistance.gov.

Emergency hotel and motel stays are just one of several ways FEMA is helping wildfire survivors with housing needs. FEMA is offering other forms of housing assistance such as Displacement Assistance, Rental Assistance, and/or Lodging Expense Reimbursement:

• Displacement Assistance helps survivors who can’t return to their home following a disaster by giving them up-front money to help with immediate housing needs. It is money you can use to stay in a hotel or motel, stay with family and friends, or for any other available housing options.
• Rental Assistance pays for alternate temporary housing if a homeowner or renter is displaced from their primary residence because of damages resulting from the wildfires in Los Angeles County. This may include renting an apartment, house or staying at a hotel, bed and breakfast or Airbnb.
• Lodging Expense Reimbursement (LER) pays out-of-pocket lodging expenses that are not covered by insurance benefits like additional living expenses or loss of use. The resident’s pre-disaster primary residence must be unlivable, inaccessible, or affected by an extended disaster-caused utility outage. Eligible expenses may include the cost of the room and taxes charged by a hotel or other lodging provider. This does not include costs for food, phone calls or transportation. LER is limited to reimbursement and is not provided in advance or in the form of direct payment to a hotel or motel. The costs must have also been incurred on or after Jan. 7, 2025. Residents can upload their receipts to their DisasterAssistance.gov account.

To apply for FEMA assistance, homeowners and renters can: 

• Go online at DisasterAssistance.gov and in Spanish language at DisasterAssistance.gov/es.
• Call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 for assistance in multiple languages.
• Download the FEMA App for mobile devices.
• Go to a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center. To find one in your area, click here or text DRC along with your Zip Code to 43362 (Example: “DRC 91001”)

If you use a relay service, captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service. To view an accessible video on how to apply, visit Three Ways to Apply for FEMA Disaster Assistance – YouTube. 

For the latest information about California’s recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4856

California is committed to supporting residents impacted by the Los Angeles Hurricane-Force Firestorm as they navigate the recovery process. Resources for financial assistance, housing, funds for repair and more are available to help individuals and families. Visit CA.gov/LAFires for up-to-date information on disaster recovery programs, important deadlines, and how to apply for assistance.