NEWS stories
Still having home insurance problems? Need mental health services? This Altadena group wants to help
The Collaboratory, an Altadena disaster relief hub, opened in October to house nonprofits serving fire survivors still rebuilding after January’s Eaton fire.
The hub consolidates scattered aid for housing, mental health and permitting to address the complex needs survivors face.
As charitable attention fades, the Collaboratory is a critical lifeline for those still at risk of community displacement.
The first thing you see when you walk into the Collaboratory in Altadena is a wall of devastation. A floor-to-ceiling map of every lot lost to the Eaton fire in January — 9,413 structures. Each marked with a red dot on a grid of streets that have looked like a charred moonscape for 11 months.
The wall is a harrowing depiction of loss in the Eaton fire. But one turn to the right, and hope kicks back in.