Rebuilding Through the Fire Relief Hub

Wildfire relief

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

The wildfires that devastated parts of Los Angeles in early 2025 left thousands displaced with little access to coordinated, trauma-informed recovery. While emergency aid flowed quickly, long-term infrastructure for healing, stability, and housing navigation remains out of reach for many. Fire-impacted families are navigating emotional trauma, financial stress, and bureaucratic hurdles alone. Traditional relief models often treat survivors as cases, not community members. IBTU recognizes that recovery requires more than essentials; it demands dignity, choice, and support systems rooted in lived experience.

The Fire Relief Hub is a personalized, appointment-based recovery center located inside Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall. Operated by IBTU, this trauma-informed space is designed specifically for families affected by the 2025 wildfires. It is not just a place to pick up supplies, it is a welcoming, community-driven environment where guests access brand-new clothing and essentials, housing and insurance navigation, mental health resources, and weekly healing-focused programming including yoga, arts, and tech literacy.

To qualify, families must show proof of fire impact, such as a FEMA number, utility bill, lease, or insurance claim. Through our partnership with HACLA and the Workforce Development System, IBTU has hired nine fire-impacted individuals to help operate the Hub. This model embeds lived experience into every part of our recovery operations and creates a powerful feedback loop, ensuring services are delivered with empathy, trust, and real-time insight. With this grant, we will expand access, deepen case management, grow paid positions, and scale programming designed for long-term recovery.

If successful, Los Angeles will have a model for disaster recovery that’s not just about services, but about the experience of receiving them. The Fire Relief Hub is intentionally designed to be a place people want to come to, even if they don’t have to. Through thoughtful design, welcoming aesthetics, and personalized care, we create a dignified, calming environment that encourages repeated visits, deeper engagement, and stronger outcomes. This is what sets our model apart: by making recovery feel safe, accessible, and even joyful, we support faster healing and long-term stability. A trauma-informed space that feels good to walk into is more than a nice touch, it’s the reason people keep coming back for the care and community they need to truly rebuild.