Altadena resident John Jackson (Photo – pasadenavillage)
Older adults who lost homes, possessions and stability in the 2025 Eaton Fire are receiving vital assistance thanks to a partnership between the California Community Foundation (CCF) and Pasadena Village. In November 2025, CCF awarded Pasadena Village a $450,000 grant to deliver direct cash aid to wildfire survivors in Altadena, Sierra Madre, and Pasadena.
By News Desk
Grounded in Pasadena Village’s peer‑to‑peer support model, the organization assembled a recovery team of nine older adults who designed and implemented an equitable process for distributing the funds. By February, the team finalized awards for 61 residents ages 55 and older who remained displaced months after the fire. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $8,175, helping survivors begin rebuilding their lives.
More than 40 recipients identify as Black or African American. Fifty‑two lost their primary residence entirely, while nine are still waiting to return to homes severely damaged by smoke and ash.
Among those navigating the long road to recovery is John Jackson, an 80‑year‑old Altadena resident who lost the home he had lived in for half a century. The fire destroyed his outdoor kitchen, handcrafted furniture 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 the grant, Jackson plans to rebuild his home and workshop and replace essential tools such as a table saw, router and planer. He also hopes to restore fencing and his patio. For him, woodworking is more than a pastime, it is a source of purpose and a way to reconstruct what insurance cannot replace.
Juanita, an 84‑year‑old Altadena resident, also lost her family’s home of 52 years, along with all of its contents and two cars. The funding she received will help cover rebuilding costs, furnishings and basic needs as her family works toward returning home.
“We just need help to sustain ourselves financially until we can get back home,” she said.
Katie Brandon, Executive Director of Pasadena Village, emphasized the importance of the partnership in supporting older adults through an especially vulnerable moment.
“Pasadena Village is deeply grateful to the California Community Foundation for standing with our community in this moment of need,” Brandon said. “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.”
Beyond financial assistance, Pasadena Village continues to connect older adults with one another and with essential resources, ensuring survivors do not face the aftermath of the Eaton Fire alone.
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