As Los Angeles begins the long process of rebuilding after recent wildfires, affordable housing providers are taking hard-earned lessons from those who have been through similar disasters, while updating emergency plans and taking steps to reinforce buildings and procedures to prepare for future wildfires.

Recent wildfires in LA were not isolated incidents, but rather part of a worsening pattern fueled by climate change. Despite the devastation, the fires present an opportunity for decision-makers to enact policies that ensure communities are rebuilt to better withstand future wildfires and other disasters.

The earlier we think about rebuilding after the wildfire—and the sooner we ensure that communities prioritize affordability, inclusivity, and resiliency—the more stable and sustainable our outlook.

The city and county of Los Angeles have made historic strides toward wildfire recovery, completing the fastest hazardous materials cleanup in the Environmental Protection Agency’s history. Yet even in well-resourced areas, residents of multifamily and nontraditional housing are often overlooked.

Celebrating two decades of Enterprise Green Communities, housing leaders gathered online and in Washington, D.C., to reflect on the next chapter for healthy, resilient, and energy-efficient affordable homes amid a moment of unprecedented bipartisan support for housing affordability.

A HVAC innovation creates a prefab “second skin” to retrofit affordable housing, cutting energy use, costs, and disruption—a winner of the Wells Fargo-Enterprise Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge.