Prologis, which has had a longstanding relationship with Habitat for Humanity Greater Los Angeles (Habitat LA), quickly offered several warehouse options that the organization could use to store donated goods and essential items for families and individuals impacted by the fires.
“Our staff is well-connected and called the mayor’s office shortly after the fires began to offer help,” Antrobius says. “We donated the use of a 120,000-square-foot warehouse to Habitat LA, which they’re still using to store things like furniture and mattresses that people will need as they rebuild their lives.”
In addition, Prologis helped organize support from some of its vendors to contribute goods and services toward Habitat LA’s ReBuild LA Wildfire Relief campaign, including:
- One Plumbing is providing complimentary plumbing services
- Smith & Severson Builders is offering pro bono services to assist in securing the Certificate of Occupancy for the warehouse, covering both inspection and permit fees.
- Papé Material Handling is donating a forklift, helping staff to manage warehouse operations, and support the campaign’s logistics.
“A lot of our employees are also doing things on their own to help wildfire victims, and Prologis always supports them with paid time off,” Antrobius says. “As a company, we have an annual impact day where our staff all over the world volunteer in their community at food banks, schools, or anything that is meaningful in their area.”
In Los Angeles, more than 100 Prologis employees have volunteered over the past decade to build and restore homes with Habitat LA, along with building playhouses for families, and building homes for veterans and low-income families. Prologis also has contributed more than $150,000 in donations to Habitat LA. Its global “Spaces for Good” program offers temporary, unoccupied warehouse space for nonprofit and emergency response organizations at no cost.
Like Prologis, AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE: AVB) has a large property footprint and an extensive network of staff and residents in Southern California, including 36 communities in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties with more than 12,000 homes.
“In the first few days of the wildfires, 12 of our buildings were in evacuation warning zones,” says Eric Ostgarden, Los Angeles-based vice president of property operations for AvalonBay. “Fortunately, none of them sustained direct fire damage, but several had minor smoke damage, and one had damage from the high winds.”
AvalonBay is well-prepared with local and national emergency response teams and quickly mobilized their resources to keep residents safe and informed, he says.
“After the wildfires, we helped about 70 families who had been displaced move into our buildings,” Ostgarden says. “We waived their application fee, reduced their deposits, and gave them flexibility to rent for two or three months if that’s all they need, but we expect most would be there for a year or more.”
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