When the Fires Came: How Two Families Found Strength in Community

In the wake of devastating wildfires that swept across parts of Los Angeles, families across the city faced unimaginable disruptions to their lives. Jobs were lost. Schools closed. Children grew anxious. For many, it wasn’t just the smoke in the air, it was the uncertainty that came with it. But amid fear and instability, something powerful emerged: community. And through that community, families like Rosa’s and Kenyetta’s began the slow, steady journey toward recovery with support from CISLA.

Rosa’s Story: From Survival to Stability

*Note: Quotes have been translated from Spanish. 

When wildfires swept through the Palisades, where Rosa Juarez’s husband worked as an assistant in a small gardening business, their lives changed overnight. Not only was the business severely impacted, but the shed where all of its tools and equipment were stored was also destroyed in the fire. With it went any immediate chance of rebuilding. In a matter of days, the Juarez family lost their only source of income. Rosa shared:

“The man who employed my husband told him it was probably going to be difficult to start over because all of his investment, all of his tools and equipment, had been lost. He was very sorry about what happened and said he wouldn’t be able to keep providing my husband with work. So my husband had to start looking for a new job, because, well, the man had lost everything, and the area where they used to work had also been affected.” - Rosa Juarez

Rosa Juarez, along with her children Isais, Diana, Elizabeth, and Dorca, relish a sunny day together, gathered outside in a celebratory atmosphere.

Rosa wasn’t working at the time due to health issues, so the loss hit hard. Suddenly, they were behind on rent and bills, without a safety net. The stress was so real, her teenage son, Isai, who's a sophomore at Orthopaedic Hospital Medical Magnet High School, considered dropping out of school to help support the family.

She said, “Isaí even wanted to drop out of school. He told me, ‘Mom, I think I’m going to go get a job, maybe someone will hire me.’ I told him, ‘No, mijo, you have to keep going, you have to finish, you have to prepare yourself. Let what we’ve been through be a lesson for you, so that one day you can say, ‘I’m well prepared, and I don’t have to struggle.’ So you can get a job better than the one your dad has, or had. Don’t let this discourage you.’”

Her message to her kids has always been clear: education is the path to something better. Her daughter, Elizabeth, a CISLA student at John Liechty Middle School dreams of becoming an architect. She spends her free time sketching and designing, filling notebooks with creative drawings that hint at a bright future. “She loves art,” Rosa shared. “I tell her, nothing is impossible. If you keep going, you can make it.”

But when the family couldn’t afford to pay the internet bill, it directly affected Elizabeth’s ability to keep up in school. Without Wi-Fi, she struggled to complete assignments on time and her grades began to slip. She tried to work from the library, but it wasn’t always feasible.

Thanks to emergency financial assistance from CISLA and the generosity of the community, Rosa’s family got the breathing room they needed. They caught up on rent, restored their internet service so the kids could do schoolwork, and began to focus on recovery.

Today, Rosa’s husband has stable work again and her children are refocusing on their education, no longer burdened by the fear of not making ends meet.

“My daughter’s grades are going back up. She’s less anxious. And I’m staying involved at school, attending meetings, checking in. I want to be present for them.”

For Rosa, recovery is more than financial, it’s about reclaiming a sense of hope. With stability, her children are no longer focused on surviving, but on dreaming.

Kenyetta’s Story: Holding It All Together

Kenyetta Gray found herself navigating two worlds at once during the wildfires: as a mother of five and a frontline worker at a homeless shelter in Brentwood. The shelter was evacuated. Her children’s schools closed. It was a moment filled with fear and uncertainty. 

“I got a call to pick up my kids the day of the [fire] because the smoke had gotten so close to the school that they were saying that the air was polluted and that the kids couldn't stay at school. So I had to go pick the kids up from school. They were kind of scared. They were nervous. They were very emotional about it. It was kind of traumatizing to them because they didn't know if the fire was going to reach us…or get close to us,” she shared. 

The shelter remained closed for a week. Some days, Kenyetta didn’t get paid. Her daughter got sick. And tragically, one of the shelter’s clients passed away during the chaos of the evacuation. Still, amidst the grief and instability, she witnessed something powerful:

“The community came together. I saw them bringing together food, they were bringing together packages for them as far as clothes, shoes, towels, pantries and toiletries and everything that they needed, like snacks for them. So the community did a wonderful job…this is the most that I have seen LA come together.”

CISLA stepped in too, providing emergency financial assistance and regular check-ins to make sure her children were emotionally supported during a deeply traumatic time.

“You all called almost every day, asking how the kids were doing. That meant a lot. That kind of check-in—it matters.”

Now, Kenyetta is focused on recovery and preparedness. She’s advocating for more mental health support for kids, fire education in schools, and stronger safety nets for families who find themselves in crisis.

“I feel like a lot of kids are still kind of affected by it. So I believe that therapy is needed not only for my children, but for other children that have dealt with worse than what my children dealt with.”

Strength in Community

Rosa and Kenyetta’s stories are just two examples of the countless families across LA who are finding strength in community. When disasters strike, families don’t need judgment, they need support, consistency, and care.

CISLA continues to walk alongside students and families through every storm, making sure that recovery is possible, and that every young person has a chance to succeed, not just survive.

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