Economic Impact | Sources of Assistance

Where have fire-impacted people received assistance from?

The majority of respondents still receive some assistance, but the extent of support has decreased substantially and about half of respondents have not received any assistance in the past month. More than half of fire-impacted individuals have received assistance from FEMA at some point, but the number of individuals receiving FEMA aid in the past month has dropped to less than 20% in recent months. Food stamps and similar government programs are now supporting less than half of the number of people who received assistance shortly after the wildfires. Less than a fifth of fire-impacted individuals have received unemployment benefits after the wildfires. Over the last few months, only about 3% of people still receive unemployment benefits. Community organizations, including the American Red Cross, have been the largest providers of assistance since the fires. The American Red Cross, which has supported more than half of respondents at some point, now assists about 10% of people. About 10% also still receive support from other community organizations. More than 15% still rely on family, friends and individual donations for support. About 5-10% of respondents never received any assistance.