MBA Opens Doors Foundation Steps Up for Disaster Relief
(A view from the Palisades fire. Arprince/shutterstock)
In January, the Los Angeles area saw a series of destructive fires, killing dozens and affecting substantial amounts of property.
The Mortgage Bankers Association’s Opens Doors Foundation was one of many industry forces that stepped up to help.
On Jan. 23, the foundation launched the MBA Opens Doors Disaster Relief Program, to provide an additional $100,000 to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to support the children and families impacted by the Southern California wildfires. With natural disasters on the rise, the program will serve as a model for future relief efforts.
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles joined the Opens Doors network in 2016. The foundation has helped more than 500 families with a child in treatment at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Since 2012, the MBA Opens Doors Foundation has aided families with children that are dealing with serious injury or illness through its Home Grant Program, which provides mortgage and rental assistance grants of up to $2,000 for families with children in treatment at one of the foundation’s 13 network hospitals.
As of August, Opens Doors has awarded more than 18,500 grants totaling more than $28 million since its inception in 2011.
The new special disaster relief funding was in addition to CHLA’s regular monthly grant funding, and was intended to provide relief to families whose lives had been upended by the Southern California wildfires.
“The MBA Opens Doors Disaster Relief Program is a new initiative that complements the foundation’s existing Home Grant Program and will double the amount of housing assistance available to families with a child in treatment at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles who have been impacted by the horrific wildfires in Southern California,” said MBA President and CEO Bob Broeksmit, CMB, in a release touting the fund’s launch. “For families navigating the sudden loss of their homes, businesses, or jobs while caring for a sick or injured child, the Disaster Relief Program is a tangible reminder that when crises hit, the real estate finance industry is there to help.”
For example, one family–that asked to remain anonymous–had a child we’ll call “Anna.” Anna is 17 with spina bifida and kidney disease. Prior to the fires, she had recently undergone a kidney transplant.
But, when the fire struck, Anna’s family lost their home, which had been specially outfitted with ramps and grab bars for her mobility. They also lost Anna’s wheelchair and leg braces. Following the fire, the family had to move twice in search of a home that could accommodate Anna’s needs–a burden for a family that has an annual household income of under $40,000.
Anna’s mother wrote to Opens Doors that support from the disaster relief program came “just in time.”
Looking forward, the MBA Opens Doors Foundation finds itself on solid ground and continues to raise much-needed funds for its ongoing activities. It also is motivated to pursue other ways to make a difference, like the Disaster Relief Fund, or the Pandemic Relief Fund that was launched in 2021.
In fiscal-year 2026, Opens Doors will expand its network of participating children’s hospitals in furtherance of its mission of keeping families caring for critically ill or injured children in their homes while those children undergo treatments.
“While we know we can’t help every family that needs housing assistance while they care for their sick or injured child, we do know that helping more than 18,000 families has made a sizable impact in communities across the country,” said Deborah Dubois, President of the MBA Opens Doors Foundation. “We’ve thoughtfully and strategically built our network and our programs in a way that has allowed us to become the charity of choice for the real estate finance industry, and a critical support network for families and social workers alike.”
To support the mission of the MBA Opens Doors Foundation, please visit www.mbaopensdoors.org or reach out to Deb Dubois at ddubois@mba.org.
Click here to learn more about what the industry is doing on disaster relief
