Older adults who lost possessions and housing stability as a result of the Eaton Fire last year began receiving financial help Friday through a grant partnership between the California Community Foundation and a local housing community.
Pasadena Village started distributing a $450,000 award from the Foundation to provide direct cash assistance to wildfire survivors in Altadena and Pasadena, grant program organizers announced.
Based upon the organization’s “peer-to-peer support model,” Pasadena Village management appointed a recovery team of nine older adults who designed and carried out an equitable process to distribute the grant money, program organizers said. In February, the team approved grants for 61 people age 55 and older who were still displaced by the Eaton Fire, with grants ranging from $5,000 to $8,175.
More than 40 of recipients identify as Black or African American, according to Pasadena Village. Fifty-two lost their primary residence entirely, while nine are still waiting to return to homes severely damaged by smoke and ash.
John Jackson, an 80-year-old Altadena resident, lost the home where he had lived for 50 years. The Eaton Fire also took the outdoor kitchen where he gathered with friends, furniture he crafted by hand and a workshop filled with woodworking tools — none of which were insured.
“The Village has offered me unbelievable support,” Jackson said. “While most people needed computers and electronics, I needed saws and hand and power tools to rebuild my storage shed.”
With his grant assistance, Jackson plans to rebuild his home and workshop and replace essential tools such as a table saw, router and planer. He also hopes to rebuild fencing and restore the patio. Woodworking is more than a hobby for Jackson, it’s a source of purpose and a way to rebuild what insurance can’t replace, from shelving and drawers to furniture.
Juanita, an 84-year-old Altadena resident, lost her family’s home of 52 years, along with everything in it and two cars. The funding she received will help pay rebuilding expenses, furnishings and basic needs as she and her family work toward returning home.
“We just need help to sustain ourselves financially until we can get back home,” she said in a statement.
“Pasadena Village is deeply grateful to the California Community Foundation for standing with our community in this moment of need,” Katie Brandon, executive director of Pasadena Village, said in a statement. “Many older adults affected by the wildfires lost not only their homes, but their stability. This funding is helping older survivors move forward and know that they are supported, and not forgotten, as they rebuild their lives.”
In addition to financial assistance, Pasadena Village continues to connect older adults with each other and with resources as they navigate the long road to recovery. Community representatives said a priority is to help ensure survivors do not face the aftermath of the Eaton Fire alone.
The Eaton Fire caused 19 deaths, mostly in Altadena, and destroyed thousands of structures amid severe Santa Ana winds in January 2025.
More information is available from PasadenaVillage.org or by calling 626-765-6037.
