Derrick Ruiz

Derrick Ruiz is a dual Master of Social Welfare/Master of Public Policy student at UCLA from San Ysidro, California, whose work sits at the intersection of behavioral health, homelessness, social policy and cross-border community issues. His academic and professional experiences center on supporting vulnerable populations and advancing equitable, community-driven policy solutions. As a Lewis Center Fellow, he is part of an Applied Policy Project team assessing the displacement of renters and informally housed residents following the Eaton and Palisades fires, and developing strategies to support the housing recovery of these residents. Derrick is committed to leveraging research to strengthen safety nets and expand opportunities for communities facing systemic barriers.

Derrick is working alongside Jennifer Gorman, Stella Greenwood, Megan Rich and Theresa Willmott-McMahon on a project about wildfire displacement.

Project Overview

After the January 2025 wildfires, most recovery efforts focused on the permitting, debris removal and rebuilding processes for homeowners who wanted to rebuild. But the fires also displaced informally housed residents and renters –– populations who face a different set of housing challenges like limited insurance coverage, minimal legal protections, and ineligibility or perceived ineligibility for many post-disaster recovery programs. By identifying who these displaced residents are, what housing barriers they face and where current programs fall short, this project will help our client reform existing programs to better support displaced renters searching for stable and affordable housing.

Why is this topic, specifically, important to you?

Our team comprises researchers with a wide range of academic, personal and professional backgrounds –– from growing up in a border community shaped by housing insecurity, to working with youths experiencing homelessness, to researching the fires’ water supply impacts –– that connect us to the topic in different ways. All of us, however, witnessed the wildfires’ devastating effects on Greater Los Angeles, and are grateful to support an equitable recovery for all residents.

Who are the partners involved in this project and how will you be working with them?

Our client is the Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA), which is providing overall direction and connecting us to key stakeholders. Our team is working closely with LACDA staff to review existing programs, analyze housing recovery data and gather insights through expert interviews with county agencies, nonprofits and community organizations. We are also grateful for the community organizations providing us with primary data and supporting our analysis efforts. The Department of Angels is providing survey data from displaced residents, the Eaton Fire Collaborative is providing information on housing recovery, and the Altadena Tenants Union is helping us understand local tenant experiences and advocacy work.

How do you hope that this project will impact the field moving forward?

We hope this project will inspire policies and procedures that help displaced residents find housing stability, and provide a disaster response framework that other communities can adopt. By centering renters and informally housed individuals, we aim to inform policies that reflect the realities of Los Angeles’ housing crisis and contribute to a more equitable model of disaster housing recovery, one that recognizes and supports residents who are often excluded from traditional programs. Ultimately, we hope our project prompts citywide policy reforms that influence similar changes across the state –– strengthening long-term housing stability and encouraging more inclusive policy design and implementation.