Climate Resilient Housing - California Climate and Energy Collaborative

Barrier 1: Climate Resilient Housing

Barrier Statement

There is a lack of resources dedicated to to making homes more wildfire, heat and energy resilient and insurable (e.g. fire resistance materials, backup power/batteries). Aging housing stock, inequitable investments, weak building codes, and limited insurance and workforce capacity leave low-income and vulnerable communities unable to afford or access upgrades that make homes safe from heat, wildfire, and other climate hazards.

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How communities are experiencing this barrier

View the details on what communities have shared with SLECC from across the state.

Key challenge discussed in - San Francisco Bay Area, Inland Deserts

Homes in disadvantaged communities trap dangerous heat, leaving residents with few cooling options. Low-income tenants and homeowners often lack cooling systems and live in heat-island areas, making homes increasingly dangerous as extreme heat worsens. With limited resources to adapt, these communities face growing risks of heat illness and poor air quality.

Key challenge discussed in - San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Statewide

High Upfront Costs Limit Access to Housing Upgrades. High upfront costs prevent low-income, underinsured households—particularly in older buildings—from accessing resilience, cooling, electrification, and electrical upgrades. Incentives often cover only a small share of costs, limiting participation unless programs offer direct-install options or substantially higher cost coverage.

Key challenge discussed in - San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Statewide

Aging and Inefficient Housing Stock Increases Climate Risk. Much of California’s housing, especially in disadvantaged communities, is old and in disrepair, lacking cooling, modern wiring, and safety features needed for heat, wildfire, and outages. These conditions raise health risks and increase the cost and complexity of resilience and electrification upgrades for low-income residents.

Key challenge discussed in - Los Angeles, Statewide

Limited Workforce Capacity for Residential Retrofits. Shortages of trained contractors across electrification, cooling, fire-safe retrofits, stormwater systems, and water-wise landscaping delay projects, increase costs, and exacerbate inequities—particularly in rural and under-resourced communities.

Key challenge discussed in - San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles

Insurance barriers undermine resilience and affordability: Rising climate-driven premiums and limited insurer presence in wildfire and flood zones are making coverage unaffordable or unavailable, blocking mortgages and discouraging reinvestment. Underinsured or uninsured households—including heirs without clear title—face major obstacles to rebuilding or completing resilience upgrades, underscoring the need to diversify carriers and expand equitable insurance options.

Local Solution Opportunities

SLECC stakeholders have brainstormed the following solution opportunities that can be taken by local leaders. Existing examples of progress or pathways to make further progress are highlighted if known.

Local Solution

Community Education and CBO Partnerships for Air Quality and Climate Emergencies. Local governments can work with trusted community-based organizations to deliver air quality emergency communication and resilience education, ensuring vulnerable households receive timely warnings and can access housing and energy resilience resources. Local health districts and CBO partnerships demonstrate effective, community-centered models.

Existing Examples of Progress:

Local health districts and CBOs—such as the Desert Healthcare District—are partnering with schools and growers to implement air quality emergency communication plans and ensure residents are warned during pollution or heat events

Further Progress Pathways

Region(s): Inland Deserts, Statewide

Local Solution

Prioritize Climate-Vulnerable Communities in Resilience Investments. Local governments can direct resilience investments toward low-income, elderly, and medically vulnerable households using explicit prioritization criteria, rather than concentrating resources in already well-protected areas.

Existing Examples of Progress:

Further Progress Pathways

Region(s): Los Angeles, Statewide

Local Solution

Community education on fire and heat resilience: Local governments should offer clear, accessible guidance on wildfire and extreme heat risks—covering home hardening, cooling, shading, planting, and basic materials choices—and integrate this outreach into existing housing programs so residents can take practical, affordable steps to stay safe.

Existing Examples of Progress:

Further Progress Pathways

Region(s): San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles

State Solution Opportunities

SLECC stakeholders have brainstormed the following solution opportunities that can be taken by state leaders. Existing examples of progress or pathways to make further progress are highlighted if known.

State Solution

State-Funded Household Resilience Retrofit Programs. The state can deploy direct implementation programs that fund residential cooling, electrification, energy resilience, seismic, and wildfire-hardening upgrades—particularly for low-income households—while incorporating cost-containment measures to prevent tenant pass-throughs during retrofits.

Existing Examples of Progress:

The Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program (LCI) provides state-level funding for cooling infrastructure and local engagement projects, helping localities develop proactive adaptation measures

Further Progress Pathways

Region(s): Los Angeles, Inland Deserts, Statewide

State Solution

Prioritize Climate-Vulnerable Households in State Investments. State agencies can rebalance resilience and housing funding criteria to prioritize low-income, disadvantaged, and medically vulnerable communities, ensuring investments reduce inequities rather than concentrating resources in already well-protected, high-value areas.

Existing Examples of Progress:

Further Progress Pathways

Region(s): Los Angeles, Statewide

State Solution

Recognizing heat, outage, and wildfire risk as housing policy issues. State representatives acknowledged that extreme heat, PSPS outages, and wildfire impacts directly affect housing safety and habitability, particularly for vulnerable residents. This recognition informs how state programs and priorities are framed, even when implementation authority rests locally.

Existing Examples of Progress:

Further Progress Pathways

Region(s): Statewide

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Additional Resources

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