$4 million in affordable housing in Altadena sparks new hope

Days after the Eaton fire tore through Altadena, Wayne Clarvoe couldn’t bear to leave his fire-ravaged building.

He sat in his truck outside an affordable building, trying to take care of things: chasing away looters, blowing up coal, responding to flooding when the building’s sprinklers back on.

“This is my home,” the 64-year-old said of the Altadena Vistas Apartments, where he has lived for more than a decade.

Eventually, he began to bounce around, struggling to find a place he could afford and where he felt truly welcome.

But on Wednesday — for the first time in nearly a year — Clarvoe said he was hopeful he could finally return home.

“This is the beginning of the return of all the citizens,” Clarvoe said, smiling.

State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, a Democrat representing Altadena, announced a $4 million investment in federal funds for affordable housing for Eaton fire survivors, part of which is earmarked for repairs and renovations to the Altadena Vistas complex.

It’s part of an $8 million pot Pérez is working to secure to help bring more community families home, the senator said. Another $4 million will primarily fund direct grants, which will be available through an upcoming application process.

While Pérez acknowledged that obstacles remain for those recovering from the Eaton fire, especially since many are still struggling to find stable, affordable housing, he said Wednesday’s announcement is a sign of progress.

“There are times to celebrate, and that’s what today is about,” Pérez said outside the Altadena Vistas building. The member of parliament was surrounded by other leaders of states, regions and non-profits involved in projects related to new investments. “Today we celebrate another tangible step in our journey to recovery.”

LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district includes Altadena, called the funds “proof that working together brings real resources and local recovery needs to the fore.”

While the newly allocated money will not fully cover the necessary repairs to the affordable building, it will allow the Los Angeles County Development Authority, finally, to begin repairs and restoration, said Carolina Romo, the nonprofit’s director of construction and property management. The authority owns and operates a large building.

The 21-unit complex for low-income seniors has been empty since Jan. 7, with extensive smoke, fire and water damage. The center has worked to find temporary housing for its residents, Romo said, but almost all said they hope to return to the building if possible.

“I’m under pressure to try to get all these seniors home,” Romo said. “They are our family.”

Romo said the $2 million in state funding comes after the complex received an insurance settlement of just over $1 million — about half of what the team had hoped for. He estimates that total repairs to the building will cost $7 million, so development managers will continue to work to secure federal disaster relief funds and charitable donations to cover the rest.

He hopes that the repairs can be completed in a year. Clarvoe would like a faster timeline but said he understands it will take time. Most of the building still smells of smoke and needs a good cleaning rather than possible contaminants, such as lead. Parts of the building have obvious fire damage.

“We had everything going the distance,” Clarvoe said. “You can go to a shop, you can go to a small restaurant, a bank, everything…. I had a mosque up here where I would pray.”

He said he was very happy to see that work has started on this building.

“I’ve been waiting for help for a long time, and help is scarce right now,” Clarvoe said. “We’re trying to find anything we can to get this building back up and running safely.”

Pérez on Wednesday also directed $1 million per person to San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity, to help build low-cost homes in the fire zone, and to the Greenline Housing Foundation, to support affordable housing run by faith-based organizations.

Bryan Wong, chief executive officer of the Habitat for Humanity chapter, said the nonprofit is already closing on its first two houses in the Altadena area and hopes to start on six more lots — each with a main house and an accessory dwelling unit — any day now, with a goal to be done in the new year.

“We’ve been trying a little bit to get going,” Wong said, “and these are the funds that accelerate things.”