After the Fire: Rebuilding Home, Rebuilding Community

“I’ve decided not to cry over lost things, but the hardest part to grasp is not being able to go home again,” Patti shared with us recently. This past Wednesday we found ourselves brainstorming with Angela at Good Neighbor Bar in Altadena about how to support the community through her still-standing small business during the cleanup and rebuilding process, when ashes surround her dream, Arrangements by Adelaide, that opened three months before the Eaton Fire that also took her home. And then Thursday, we met in Janet’s living room in La Viña, an empty Altadena neighborhood awaiting cleanup and rebuilding. She weighs her options in the wake of the recent fires, in surprisingly good spirits but exhaustion hovering underneath, her faith steadfast.

What we noticed these past two months is that before anything else—before thinking about replacing lost belongings, figuring out next steps, or even processing the trauma—there was the immediate need for shelter. The reality of losing a home is not just about losing possessions; it’s the existential weight of suddenly being without the physical space that holds your life together. Until a roof over their heads was secured, everything else had to wait, including the outpouring of support —people eager to help, donations pouring in, and a deep desire to bring relief to those affected. 

And yet, even after that first step, the road ahead remains daunting. The bureaucracy of insurance claims, damage assessments, and the rebuilding process is overwhelming. This is where social capital, the microcommunities that support each other, become the key to moving forward. As disaster expert Dr. Lucy Jones has highlighted, it’s not just money or resources that rebuild a community—it’s the connections between people. In the absence of home, what survivors still have is each other. The strength of relationships, the willingness of neighbors to support one another, and the bonds that hold a community together are what will shape the recovery process.

Rebuilding is not only about preserving what we can and replacing what was lost, but also about reimagining what’s possible. We’ve seen countless individuals and organizations (who are fire victims themselves) contributing what they can: Keni Arts is documenting beauty in the ashes through his watercolors of Altadena, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre; Save the Tiles is carefully preserving historic art tiles, unique to SoCal, from the fireplaces that still stand; The Foothill Catalog Foundation is attempting to offer affordable housing plans and funds that will enable folks to rebuild homes in the beloved architectural styles of Altadena. 

A piece from Keni Arts series Beauty Through Ashes.

While we have cobbled together some resources for people who have been displaced by the fire, we welcome you to please share with us more organizations you may know of that could assist, educate, and empower people to move forward.  

If we can continue to show up for one another—not just in the immediate aftermath, but in the months and years ahead—our community has the chance to emerge even stronger.  For those who want to help, the most powerful thing we can do is stay engaged. Keep checking in on those affected. Keep supporting local businesses that are struggling to recover. Keep the conversations going about how we can make our homes and neighborhoods more resilient.

Home is more than four walls and a roof—it’s the people who surround us, the support we give, and the community we build. Let’s continue moving forward together.