Rick Caruso’s Steadfast LA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the rebuilding of Los Angeles following the devastating January 2025 fires, has announced its first major initiative.”
This is Steadfast LA’s first initiative as part of its mission to expedite LA’s rebuild as the organization continues to raising money, create partnerships, and execute ideas in its quest “to help families affected by the wildfires.”
On February 19th, Caruso’s new org announced it is partnering with CA-based company Samara to donate high-quality, prefab homes.
Photos courtesy Steadfast LA & Samara
This initiative – taking place under Steadfast LA’s “Rebuilding” pillar and focusing on Expanding Housing Choices – is the organization’s first and is designed to allow homeowners who lost everything to remain in their communities at no cost.
Samara, known for backyard ADUs that can be installed in a yard in as few as seven months will offer these homes to low-income homeowners in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades who lost homes in the wildfires and lack the economic resources to rebuild.
The homes will be 100% funded through Steadfast LA Foundation, a newly established charitable organization that’s affiliated with Steadfast LA and designed to accept donations to support initiatives like this.
Steadfast LA Foundation will announce a collaboration with an independent organization that will administer and facilitate the eligibility in the coming weeks.
AirBnB joins in!
Samara and Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia will donate $15M to the initiative, including an initial $5M and a pledge to match an additional $10M in major donations. The Caruso Family Foundation will also provide seed funding for this program.
The funding will go to constructing and installing factory-built homes for people who would otherwise be forced to relocate despite wanting to stay on their property.
“Our hearts go out to all the individuals, families, and communities impacted by these destructive wildfires,” said Joe Gebbia. “So many people are faced with unbelievable circumstances. We want to help them get back home.”
Samara plans to build these homes for no profit and there will be no costs for fire survivors.
“This initiative is about keeping communities intact,” said Rick Caruso, Chairman of Steadfast LA. “Many of the people struggling the most right now are those who have lived in these neighborhoods for decades. They built their homes many years ago, they’re underinsured or lack insurance, and now they have lost everything. We’re giving these victims a realistic way to stay on their properties and quickly return to their lives at a time when the deck is stacked against them.”
Prefab-ulous Housing?
According to an article in the Washington Post, multiple reports and studies, a significant number of wildfire-impacted homeowners will not be able to cover the cost of rebuilding through insurance alone, and rebuilding costs are estimated to outpace insurance coverage considerably.
Samara quality homes are built in a factory in 5-6 months and can be installed on a property in as little as a few weeks of minimal on-site work to counter rising local construction costs, delays, and supply chain resources given the scale of this natural disaster.
“The construction environment in Los Angeles is going to be tough,” said Samara co-founder and CEO Mike McNamara. “Labor and material prices are going to increase, and people will face longer rebuild timelines. We build these homes in a factory, which will avoid the strain facing the LA market and help people get homes on their properties faster. We’re proud we can help.”
The final delivery timeline will depend on permits and site readiness.
Samara will handle the entire installation and permitting process for affected homeowners, and Steadfast LA intends to work closely with city and state officials to expedite permitting and regulatory processes to ensure victims can have these units installed without unnecessary delays.
Steadfast LA invites other modular home companies to join this program and build homes for wildfire victims. www.steadfastla.org
