HOW THE NONPROFIT CHANGE REACTION GETS MONEY TO LA HOUSEHOLDS IMPACTED BY WILDFIRES SO FAST

As Angelenos reel from the devastating wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes and businesses and killed at least 29 people, an LA-based nonprofit is handing out cash payments of as much as $5,000 to provide fast, unrestricted help to some of those impacted.

The Change Reaction, a philanthropic nonprofit founded by real estate investor Greg Perlman and his wife Jodi, has distributed checks to 3,000 people across LA so far to help them meet immediate needs in one of the most expensive cities in the United States.

"It's kind of like oxygen," The Change Reaction founder and main funder Greg Perlman said of the cash payments. He and his wife seeded the group's Wildfire Direct Giving Fund with $10 million, nearly half of which has already been given away.

The money helps people like Katherine Anderson, 80, who lost her home of more than 30 years in the Eaton Fire last month.

Anderson is in Montebello, 30 miles away, sharing a motel room with four other people, including her sister, Paulette Allen, who used to stay with Anderson while getting cancer treatments at the nearby City of Hope cancer hospital.

"We're making do," said Anderson.

Last week, Anderson got a text from the minister of her church, which also burned down, telling her to come to a Change Reaction event in the gymnasium of Pasadena City College where she could receive financial relief.

"I need it," she said. "I lost everything!"

A check was waiting for her, with no application required and no conditions on how she spends it.

Anderson said she'll put it toward finding a place to rent.

"Going from motel to motel, no clothing, and not being able to cook," she said. "I need to be stable somewhere," she said.

CASH INFUSIONS HELP KEEP HOUSEHOLDS STEADY

Stabilizing households is a key role of direct cash assistance, according to experts. Federal assistance, insurance money and unemployment are often slow to arrive. Quick cash infusions can prevent people from falling into debt or foregoing basic needs. They also give households agency over how they use their resources.