LET'S GET YOU
SOME HELP
When you life is so severely impacted by an unforeseen event like this, it's natural to feel lost, unnerved. Take a deep breath, and let yourself feel. Scream at the top of your lungs, have a good cry, let it all out. When you're ready, collect your normal confident self, and check out these guidelines!
Your
To-Do List
Here are some immediate action items to put on your list of to-do's. It might seem like a lot, so take it one at a time. Together, we'll get through this. But if you ever feel like you need a little help, we're here for you.
Temporary Housing
Naturally the first thing you want to do, is find yourself a place to live. Some resources include Airbnb.org and Caltech. Note that Governor Newsom has signed an executive order prohibiting price gouging on rent. If you don't have anything tying you to Altadena specifically (like your job or kids' school), you may find better options looking farther away. But the best (and free) place of course is your circle of friends and family!
Food & Water,
Essential Items
The outpouring of love and generosity from the community has been so incredibly heartwarming, to provide . So many folks in our neighborhood have mobilized to collect and hand out food & water, supplies, and other essential items to those in need. Websites of local newspapers, surrounding cities, and social media, are all good resource to find out when and where. Just driving down Lake or Foothill you'll find at least a few!
Temporary
Employment
If your place of work was also displaced, you may be in need of temporary work. You can find opportunities at People Ready and Pasadena Community Job Center, or recruiting firms like Robert Half. You may also want call up your old employers, since they already know what you're capable of!
Insurance
Advocacy
Insurance companies are not known to be generous with their payouts. From initial adjuster call, to payout negotiations, we are happy to join you for those discussions. We can even send a volunteer to accompany you during your field inspections, so you can get top dollars on your policy payout.
Property Tax
Submit a M&C form with LA County Assessor (ADS820) to lower your property tax assessment immediately. This is the value that the county considers as the value of your property, which is what they use to calculate your property taxes.
Home Mortgage
Make sure you call your mortgage lender. Ask them to "waive" the interest for 6-12 months. Most likely they'll say no, but worth a try. Every bank will be different, but most are providing relief in the form of "deferred" payments (you still have to pay as scheduled, just later).
Community Support
Your community is your strongest support team. Lean on them to get through this difficult time. We can help you with social media posts, gofundme pages, so that everyone can chip in.
Government
Programs
There are various government programs available, including FEMA, SBA, and others. We can help to fill out those confusing forms, and share what we hear from the grapevines that isn't on the website.
Rebuild Support
Once you're ready, we're here to...