Thursday, August 6, 2026

Final DENA C.A.R.E.S. Convening on Altadena Housing Set for Thursday

[photo credit: California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services]

The final convening of DENA C.A.R.E.S., an Eaton Fire recovery initiative of the Pasadena nonprofit Day One, is scheduled for Thursday, August 6, at The Collaboratory, 540 West Woodbury Road in Altadena. The Eaton Fire Collaborative announced the gathering on social media, setting it from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. under the theme “Building Altadena’s Housing Future.”

The Collaborative described the convening as a review of coalition work, data and survivor experiences. More than 18 months have passed since the fire began on January 7, 2025.

The announcement names funders and philanthropic partners among those invited. Residents who wish to attend should contact Day One in advance.

Day One defines DENA C.A.R.E.S. as Community, Access, Resilience, Engagement and Support. The nonprofit, based at 175 North Euclid Avenue in Pasadena, created the initiative after the fire to help residents of Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre recover and rebuild, and describes it as providing housing education, navigation support, emergency housing resources and opportunities for community connection.

Day One and the Eaton Fire Collaborative are separate organizations whose recovery work overlaps. Lisa Odigie serves as Day One’s communications and anti-displacement program director and chairs the Collaborative’s Emergency Housing and Stabilization Committee.

The convening’s housing theme reflects pressures documented by the Collaborative’s own research. A survey of 356 renters and homeowners conducted by its Housing Workgroup between May and July 2025 found that 72% of renters surveyed still needed housing, and that 78% of renters and 55% of homeowners could not afford the $2,350 average asking rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Altadena.

The Collaboratory opened in October 2025 as a central recovery hub and houses the Eaton Fire Collaborative, its Long-Term Recovery Group, the Community Recovery Group and the Leadership Council, along with partner organizations providing services on site. The Collaborative lists the building’s public hours as Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

“None of us have experienced this before,” Michelle White, an Altadena native and founder of the nonprofit Neighborhood Servants, which spearheaded The Collaboratory, told the Los Angeles Times in November 2025, describing how difficult it was for survivors to identify what help they needed.

The Eaton Fire began the evening of January 7, 2025, near Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive and burned 14,021 acres before reaching full containment on January 31, 2025, according to Cal Fire, which lists the cause as undetermined. A Cal Fire update issued January 27, 2025, reported 9,418 structures destroyed and 1,073 damaged across Altadena, Pasadena and surrounding foothill communities.

NEED TO KNOW

The DENA C.A.R.E.S. Final Convening, themed “Building Altadena’s Housing Future,” takes place Thursday, August 6, 2026, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at The Collaboratory, 540 West Woodbury Road, Altadena, CA 91001. The site has an on-site parking lot; For more, call Day One at (626) 229-9750 or email facilities@efclc.org, or visit eatonfirecollaborative.org or Day One’s fire recovery page.