Wildfire Community Resources

We understand that this is a challenging and stressful time for many in our community due to the wildfires in Los Angeles. Please know that your Colburn Community is here to support you. Below, you will find a comprehensive list of resources available to you and your family, including emergency financial and housing services for those affected by evacuations or loss of homes. 

 

Available Resources  

Emergency Shelters 

 - For immediate shelter needs, please consider the following LA locations: 

  • Boyle Heights City Hall(2130 1st St) 
  • El Sereno District Office (5150 Huntington Dr S) 
  • LA Mission (316 Winston St) 
  • Los Angeles Presbyterian Church (2241 N Eastern Ave) 
  • Resurrection Church (3324 Opal St) 
  • Sacred Heart Catholic Church (2210 Sichel St) 
  • Dolores Mission (171 S Gless St) 
  • Exodus (640 Maple Ave) 

(Note: Small animals are only accepted at the following city-run centers (Boyle Heights City Hall & El Sereno District Office). 

Free Housing 

Airbnb.org is offering free temporary housing for those displaced by the wildfires. Affected residents can request assistance by filling out an intake form at:
care.211cs.org/public-survey
news.airbnb.com/airbnb-org-offers-temporary-housing-to-people-impacted-by-the-los-angeles-wildfires 

Financial Assistance 

  • FEMA Individual Assistant Grant Program (designed to help cover costs not covered by insurance) (www.disasterassistance.gov) 
  • Salvation Army: Provides grants and financial assistance for immediate and long-term needs. More information can be found at:
    ww.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/help-disaster-survivors (click on “I need help”) 
  • Entertainment Community Fund. Available to eligible performing arts and entertainment professionals in times of unexpected critical need, to assist towards basic living expenses such as health care, housing, and utilities. For more information go to entertainmentcommunity.org or contact an office nearest to you: Eastern Region- eastern@entertainmentcommunity.org 917.281.5919; Central Region – central@entertainmentcommunity.org 312.372.0989; Western Region- western@entertainmentcommunity.org
    323.330.2455
  • SBA Low-Cost Disaster Loans for homeowners and renters in areas covered by a disaster declaration: LA County has been declared as a disaster area. As a homeowner, renter, or personal property owner, you can apply to the SBA for a low-cost loan to help you recover from a disaster. If you have experienced damage to your home or personal property due to the recent and ongoing fires in LA County, you may be eligible for financial assistance from the  SBA (you do not need to be a business owner). Apply online: https://lending.sba.gov/search-disaster/

Free Emergency Childcare 

Available through Friday, January 10, from 7:30 am to 6 pm for ages 5 and up at Ketchum-Downtown YMCA. For more information, please email JunaidRasul@ymcala.org or call (213) 639-7450. 

Community Support 

Planet Fitness is providing free access to locker rooms, showers, HydroMassage loungers, electrical outlets, and Wi-Fi to residents and first responders affected by the wildfires. This offer is valid until January 15 at participating locations.
ktla.com/news/california/wildfires/planet-fitness-open-l-a-county-locations-to-residents-first-responders-affected-by-wildfires

Free or discounted services for first responders and those affected by the fires: 

Instructions on how to apply the promo code are available here:
help.uber.com/riders/article/using-uber-promotions-and-uber-credits

  • Lyft: Lyft is offering $25 vouchers which are valid for two rides up to $25 each ($50 total) using the code CAFIRERELIEF2. The offer is only being offered to 500 customers from now until midnight on January 15
  • Hotels in Anaheim: Individuals affected by the wildfires can visit Anaheim’s official website and find special discounts on hotels here: 
    visitanaheim.org/fire- relief
  • AT&T: The cellphone carrier is offering unlimited talk, text and data to wireless customers within certain zip codes in Southern California through February 6. A list of the zip codes can be found here:
    about.att.com/pages/disaster- recovery/california-fires
  • Verizon: Customers in hard-hit areas are being offered unlimited call, text, and data. Free Verizon Wi-Fi and charging stations are also available for public use at several locations. More details here:
    verizon.com/about/news/2025-wildfire- updates.

Free Hot Meals from LA Restaurants:
For evacuees, first responders, or anyone else in need of a warm meal right now, these restaurants are offering free food, delivery services, and more.

Furnished Rentals:
Zanoza Homes has furnished rentals available in LA and Orange County. Call 310-923-9779. Mention you are connected to the Colburn School for a potential discount.

Face Masks:
If you are in need of free masks or want to help people get masks, Abby Mahler in our Communications Department works with MaskBlocLA and can facilitate. Contact Abby at amahler@colburnschool.edu or click on Mask request & volunteer interest form.

LA Tax Relief:
To support affected residents, the LA Assessor’s Office is offering resources, including Misfortune & Calamity Property Tax Relief for damaged or destroyed properties.

Please visit assessor.lacounty.gov/tax-relief/disaster-relief for full Misfortune and Calamity qualifications and check back for additional updates as they plan on-the-ground support to offer guidance and resources to property owners.

Support for affected pet owners:

  • Bath N’ Buns Mobile Pet Grooming: The locally owned pet grooming service announced it will offer complimentary bath services for cats and dogs affected by the fires. More here: bathnbuns.com/
  • Vetster: The veterinary telehealth platform Vetster said it will be offering free telehealth appointments to pets impacted by the fires. Pet owners can visit vetster.com/support to get a free appointment. Offer will be available for up to 500 pet owners until January 23.
  • Dogtopia: located at 3410 E Foothill Blvd. in East Pasadena, is offering emergency dog care for families who have been displaced, evacuated, or have lost their homes. More info: dogtopia.com/california-eastpasadena/ –
  • Pasadena Humane Society has a Pet Food Pantry available from 10 am to 5 pm with dog and cat food, cat litter, and more. More info: pasadenahumane.org
  • Lange Foundation: If you are in need of pet supplies or need temporary shelter for your pets, you can reach out to the Lange Foundation at 2106 South Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025.
  • South Pasadena San Marino YMCA, located at 1605 Garfield Ave, has pet supplies available from 7am – 3pm for distribution as well as other emergency services. More info: facebook.com/SouthPasadenaSanMarinoYMCA

For a Full list of organizations providing support to displaced families and first responders, view:
www.fireaid.info

 

For Colburn Employees

Emotional Support 

The Colburn Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides you and your family members up to three (3) confidential counseling sessions per incident, per person (at no cost). Emergency Emotional Support is available 24/7.  The EAP also provides consultations and referrals for various issues, including legal, personal, financial, relocation, childcare, and pet care. 

EAP Contact Information:
Phone: (800) 344-9752
Website: guidanceresources.com
Web ID: NYLGBS 

Blue Shield Resources 

For those of you on our Blue Shield medical plans (even if you have Blue Shield but not through Colburn), Blue Shield has just announced some key resources available to assist those impacted:

  • Immediate Prescription Refills: Members in mandatory evacuation zones can receive immediate refills of their prescriptions, even if they are not yet due for a refill.
  • Continuity of Care: Blue Shield Medical Care Solutions will proactively reach out to members enrolled in care and disease management programs in mandatory evacuation zones to ensure they continue receiving the care they need.
  • Virtual Care Options: Members can access various telehealth services, including Teladoc and NurseHelp 24/7℠. Visit blueshieldca.com to review the specific virtual care options available under your plan.
  • Mental Health Support: Our mental health service administrator provides free access to resources, materials, and counseling services through a dedicated hotline: (800) 327-7451.
  • Out-of-Network Provider Access: Displaced members can see an appropriate out-of-network provider at in-network benefit levels and can replace medical equipment and supplies if needed.
  • Member Identification (ID) Card Replacement: If members have lost their ID card, they can view and print a new card by logging into their online account at www.blueshieldca.com/login. Alternatively, the Blue Shield of California mobile app allows access to the ID card on mobile devices.

If a member needs assistance, please call the Customer Service number on the back of their ID card.

Please visit Blue Shield of California Wildfire Assistance for the latest information and additional resources.

Learn about the air quality in your area – https://www.airnow.gov.

Free Meals from The Colburn Café:
The Café will reopen on Saturday, January 11. Colburn colleagues who have been impacted by the devastating fires are welcome to come to campus and receive free meals in the Café. Please reach out to HR at HR@Colburnschool.edu and we will arrange for you to receive a Café gift card which you can pick up at the Security Desk on the 3rd Floor of the Olive Building.

Instruments:
Colburn Students and Faculty who are now without instruments due to the fires, evacuation, or home loss, can reach out to Colburn’s Vice Provost, Donna Yoo (dyoo@colburnschool.edu). Colburn will endeavor to source instruments that can be loaned.

Free Temporary Housing:
We have received several temporary housing offers for Colburn faculty and staff who have been displaced due to evacuation or home loss. Please contact Mira Wolff (Mwolff@colburnschool.edu) so she can connect you with the various offers available.

Discounted Furnished Housing for Fire Victims:
A personal contact of CFOO, Maeesha Merchant is offering discounted furnished housing to Colburn Faculty and Staff in need. Please email Maeesha’s Executive Assistant, Michelle Mkhlian (mmkhlian@colburnschool.edu) and provide your name, number of occupants, requested dates of stay, any geographical restrictions/preferences, and the size of the desired residence (studio, 1-5 bedrooms).

Update on GoFundMe for Colburn Colleagues 

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this fund over the past few days. We have been overwhelmed by your generosity in support of our dear colleagues at Colburn. We have been able to raise an uplifting amount of money, and as we did so, more people lost their homes. But you responded and continued to give, and the fund continued to grow. This kind of humanity helps us all recover emotionally as well as financially. We know that all five of our colleagues who lost their homes are in housing that can accommodate them for a few months. This week, we will distribute the funds raised here to them so they can begin rebuilding their lives.

Colburn Fire Relief Fund

Now that the GoFundMe campaign is complete, The Colburn School is launching a fire relief fund that we can use to help an even broader group of our community members. We can help feed families who are still displaced; we can help students who lost their instruments find replacements; we can connect people who have extra housing with those who need it; we can help house students here at campus who normally live locally but now cannot.

If you have not had an opportunity to donate to and would like to support our community, please consider making a gift to the Colburn Community Fire Relief Fund.

Give Now