Pregnant woman continues search for housing after Eaton Fire
By Nicole Comstock
Click here for updates on this story
California (KCAL/KCBS) — With her baby due in a little over a month, Marina Morse has been trying to find a stable place to stay after losing her apartment and job in the Eaton Fire.
“Some people are saying, do the shelter, but I don’t want to do that because I don’t feel like it’s safe,” she said. “I feel like I have to have somewhere permanent. I don’t want to have the baby in the car.”
Morse stayed at the American Red Cross shelter at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium immediately after the Eaton Fire destroyed her home and workplace. She said she went to the hospital due to some complications with her pregnancy. When she tried to return to the new shelter location in Duarte, she was not allowed to go back in.
The Red Cross said in a statement, “Once someone has checked out from the temporary emergency sheltering program, they are generally not eligible for re-admittance.”
Since then, community groups, such as My Tribe Rise, have stepped up to help with hotel stays. However, she needed help saving up for another apartment and doesn’t know what she can qualify for without a stable income.
“It’s been a really tough process trying to figure out where to get help from,” she said.
On Monday, she went to the FEMA disaster recovery center in Altadena to apply for a grant.
“We help people who are self-employed,” FEMA spokesperson Latanga Hopes said. “We help people whose homes may be still standing but were affected by the fire.”
Hopes said the organization has helped people with rental assistance on a case-by-case basis. She added that plenty of federal and county funds are still available for residents.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office said they are working on connecting Morse with more resources.
“I’m not sure how economically viable I’m going to be at first,” Morse said.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
