State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Secures Access to Free Emergency Housing for Pasadena Unified Educators and School Staff Through Partnership with Airbnb.org

PASADENA—Today, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, Airbnb.org, and the Pasadena Unified School District announced an agreement to provide free emergency housing for over 1,300 Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) staff whose homes were evacuated within the burn zone of the Eaton Fire.

Providing housing for impacted school staff is a critical step toward reopening PUSD schools and stabilizing the Pasadena community. Airbnb.org is a nonprofit organization founded by Airbnb that connects people to free emergency housing in times of crisis.

The Eaton Fire has significantly impacted PUSD, which has closed all schools until at least January 17. While schools have been closed, PUSD has continued to be an essential source of resources for students and families, including by serving grab-and-go meals to families in need on a daily basis.

Superintendent Thurmond joined the food distribution line on Monday morning and met with impacted students, families, and staff, as well as Pasadena Unified school principals. Struck by the significant level of fire damage and educators’ difficulty to find emergency housing, Superintendent Thurmond, staff from the California Department of Education, and the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) reached out to Airbnb.org for support..

“Our school staff are the backbone of our communities,” Superintendent Thurmond said. “By making sure that our educators and staff have a safe place to stay, we make it possible for our schools to reopen and our communities to recover. We are very grateful to Airbnb.org for their support of the Pasadena community and the greater Los Angeles area in this challenging time.”

Pasadena Unified will work directly with Airbnb.org to offer staff free temporary emergency housing with Airbnb hosts, which will be able to support staff members’ families and pets. Free emergency housing for impacted PUSD staff will be provided for up to one week..

“Our hearts go out to the thousands of Pasadena residents that have been displaced by the devastating wildfires, including critical education staff,” said Christoph Gorder, Airbnb.org Executive Director. “Airbnb.org has already offered free emergency housing to thousands of people in Los Angeles County impacted by the wildfires, and we’re proud to work with Superintendent Thurmond and the Pasadena Unified School District to provide housing support to local staff who have been forced from their homes. We are committed to continue doing everything we can to support the Pasadena community.”

“We are incredibly grateful for the support of State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and Airbnb.org during this very difficult time for our district,” said PUSD Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco, Ed.D. “Their generosity in providing free one-week stays for our teachers and staff affected by mandatory evacuation zones is a testament to the strength of community and collaboration.”

Additional resources for school response and recovery to the 2025 Southern California wildfires can be found on the CDE 2025 Southern California Wildfire Resources web page. For questions regarding emergency response efforts or waiver submissions, contact the CDE Office of Emergency Services at emergencyservices@cde.ca.gov.

# # # #

Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100