Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Red Cross Grant to Fund Altadena Home Rebuilds Through San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity

The American Red Cross has awarded San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity a $5 million grant to pay for long-term rebuilding of Altadena-area homes destroyed in the January 2025 Eaton Fire, according to the Red Cross and media reports.

The grant is intended to expand the nonprofit’s capacity to help homeowners rebuild and return home, as part of the Red Cross’s national Long-Term Recovery Program.

The money will provide resources for “eligible homeowners facing financial barriers” to rebuilding. The homes involved are in Altadena and neighboring unincorporated Los Angeles County communities inside the Eaton Fire burn area.

San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity senior director of development Michael Bridges said in the release that the money would broaden the organization’s reach.

“We are deeply grateful to the American Red Cross for this generous investment and partnership in wildfire recovery,” Bridges said in the press release. “As families continue to rebuild after the Eaton Fire, this support expands our capacity to help homeowners restore stability and regain a sense of home. In partnership with the American Red Cross long-term disaster-recovery efforts, we are not only addressing today’s rebuilding challenges — we are helping lay the foundation for a stronger, more resilient community that can thrive for generations to come.”

Jacquelyn Clites, regional chief executive officer for the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region, said in the same press release that the organization is committed to the long-term recovery needs of communities hit by the 2025 Los Angeles County wildfires.

“We are honored to partner with San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity on this critical initiative,” Clites said. “This collaboration reflects our shared dedication to responsible stewardship of resources and to ensuring that survivors receive the necessary support as they rebuild and move forward through the recovery process.”

How the money will be used

The funding flows through San Gabriel Valley Habitat’s existing Fire Relief Home Repair and Rebuild Program, which offers zero-interest, five- or 10-year forgivable loans for repairs.

The program also provides case management, pre-approved home designs and coordination with partner organizations, including the Altadena Builds Back Foundation and GER3, or Global Emergency Relief, Recovery & Reconstruction, which handles smoke remediation, testing and debris removal. The Foothill Catalog Foundation is developing pre-approved home designs for the program.

San Gabriel Valley Habitat, based in Monrovia, was founded in 1990.

Demand outpaces the build commitment

More than 800 families have contacted the organization about rebuilding in Altadena, according to San Gabriel Valley Habitat, against a stated commitment to build 25 homes and an aspiration to reach 100.

The affiliate’s first full rebuild in the burn scar, for longtime Altadena residents Kenneth and Carol Wood on Pine Street, broke ground Oct. 16, 2025, marking the first of that initial 25-home commitment.

“People will never understand what it means to be able to live on that corner again,” Kenneth Wood said in comments posted on the organization’s website. “Along with the pain, there has been a lot of gain … having this house rebuilt and the help we’re getting is teaching us something we never knew before.”

On July 21, the organization broke ground on its 15th Eaton Fire rebuild, at 3510 McNally Ave. in Altadena, for fire survivors identified only as Louise and Michael.

“This is not just about rebuilding homes — it’s about restoring hope, stability, and a future,” Bryan Wong, chief executive officer of San Gabriel Valley Habitat, was quoted as saying by HeySoCal in a July 21 report. “Each groundbreaking represents another family taking an important step toward coming home.”