Altadena’s Housing Comeback Begins on a Once-Beloved Bungalow Court Lot

Tiprin Mandalay Follett stands on her family’s property in West Altadena (Photo – Molly O’Keeffe)

Largest Pasadena Community Foundation Grant to Reconstruct 14 Units in West Altadena!

By News Desk

In a major step toward rebuilding a community devastated by the Eaton Fire, the Altadena Builds Back Foundation (ABBF) on Wednesday, Nov. 19, announced a $5.85 million grant to Beacon Housing to reconstruct 14 units of affordable rental housing in West Altadena. The funds, described as the largest grant ever made through the Pasadena Community Foundation, will prioritize low-income residents displaced by the fire, which destroyed more than 75 percent of the community’s multifamily housing.

The project centers on a cleared lot on East Pine Street, where a beloved 14-unit bungalow court once stood. For decades, Tiprin Mandalay Follett and her family managed and later owned the property, maintaining affordable rents for longtime tenants. “Our kids grew up playing here,” Follett said. “Our tenants have been here forever.”

After the Eaton Fire reduced the property to ash, the family made the difficult decision to let it go. But instead of selling to an outside developer, they chose to keep the site in community hands. The land will now be developed and operated by the Altadena-based nonprofit Beacon Housing, with affordability guaranteed for the next 55 years.

Beacon Housing Executive Director, Palin Ngaotheppitak, and Tiprin Mandalay Follett at the site of Beacon Housing’s reconstruction of the bungalow court (Photo – Molly O’Keeffe)

The project began with a chance encounter at an Eaton Fire Collaborative meeting between Follett and Beacon Housing Executive Director Palin Ngaotheppitak. Recognizing an opportunity, Ngaotheppitak reached out to ABBF Project Director Candice Kim. ABBF, housed within the Pasadena Community Foundation and dedicated to Altadena’s long-term recovery, quickly embraced the plan.

“We start with people who know our community the best, and that’s why we went with Beacon Housing,” Kim said. “They’re a hyper-local nonprofit with a long track record of building community-centered affordable housing right here in Altadena.”

ABBF partner Molly Munger called the effort “compelling because it represents resilience and equity. It represents Altadena the way it always was and creates an opportunity to make that happen again.”

(L-R) ABBF Executive Director Jennifer DeVoll, ABBF Project Director Candice Kim, and Beacon Housing Executive Director Palin Ngaotheppitak (Photo – Molly O’Keeffe)

The need for affordable rentals remains urgent. A survey by the Eaton Fire Collaborative in July found that 72 percent of renters are still in need of housing. Rebuilding rental homes, community leaders say, is essential to preserving Altadena’s character, diversity, and accessibility.

“We are building the future of Altadena together, brick by brick and unit by unit,” said ABBF Executive Director Jennifer DeVoll. “The 14 affordable housing units under construction are a perfect example of what that collaboration can look like.”

Standing on the lot where generations of families once lived, Follett said she feels at peace with her decision to prioritize community over profit. She hopes other property owners will consider doing the same.

“I hope other owners will take this as a sign they can do it, too,” she said. “We need these homes for people. Affordable housing is something that we’ve had in Altadena forever.”

(L-R) ABBF Project Director Candice Kim; PCF Marketing Director Sarah Hilbert; Former lot owner Tiprin Mandalay Follett; Beacon Housing Executive Director Palin (Photo – Molly O’Keeffe)Ngaotheppitak; ABBF donor/partner Molly Munger; ABBF Executive Director Jennifer DeVoll; and ABBF Board Member Tony Gronroos