Friday, May 1, 2026

Campbell Family’s Home Rises as Nonprofit Launches 100-Home Altadena Rebuild

Hope Crisis Response Network breaks ground in Altadena. [Courtesy photo]

Hope Crisis Response Network breaks ground for uninsured and underinsured households displaced by the Eaton Fire

The house that the Campbell family had built their life in stood on an Altadena lot for more than 50 years. The Eaton Fire took it in a single night. On Wednesday, construction began to bring it back as a new, beautiful home.

Hope Crisis Response Network, a nonprofit that describes itself as California’s leading disaster homebuilder, broke ground April 23 on the Campbell residence — the first of 100 homes it has committed to rebuilding at no cost over five years for uninsured and underinsured families who lost their homes in the January 2025 fire. The effort is supported by the American Red Cross, the California Fire Foundation and FireAid.

The Eaton Fire, which ignited on January 7, 2025, in the foothills above this unincorporated Los Angeles County community, burned 14,021 acres, killed 19 people and destroyed 9,414 structures, according to Cal Fire and Los Angeles County data. Thousands of residents have been unable to return. For families without adequate insurance, the path back has been blocked by gaps in coverage and construction costs that have only climbed in the 15 months since.

The Campbells are among them. The family’s roots in Altadena date to 1975, when a veteran and longtime U.S. Postal Service employee and his wife purchased their first home, according to HCRN. Mr. Campbell became a fixture of the neighborhood, known for his daily walks and the care he put into maintaining the property, the organization said.

“This home is just the beginning of what’s ahead for Altadena,” said Kevin Cox, founder and CEO of Hope Crisis Response Network. “Each groundbreaking represents more than construction; it represents the ability for families to return home. We are committed to walking alongside these families until they are fully back on their feet.”

HCRN, founded in 1999, has focused its operations on California since 2015 and has responded to wildfires, floods and earthquakes across the state. The organization said it has helped 185 households impacted by the Eaton and Palisades fires return to their homes through remediation and rebuilding programs, according to a press release issued by HCRN.

The American Red Cross awarded HCRN a grant in December 2025 to support the 100-home rebuilding program as part of the national Red Cross Long-Term Recovery Program, expanding the nonprofit’s capacity for construction, case management and community recovery in Altadena.

“Nothing represents meaningful recovery more than a family being able to return home,” said Amanda Ree, director of wildfire long-term recovery at the American Red Cross. “This is the first of many homes that will be built over the coming months that will welcome back families displaced by the Eaton Fire, thanks to Hope Crisis Response Network. We’re proud to be partnering with HCRN and look forward to continuing to celebrate these milestones alongside them.”

The California Fire Foundation contributed a $1 million grant to help reduce barriers for underinsured homeowners, according to Angie Carmignani, the foundation’s executive director. The grant provides tools, equipment and financial support for site preparation, Carmignani said in a statement.

“This investment will help save families an estimated $20,000 to $30,000 in site preparation costs alone, making rebuilds like this one possible,” Carmignani said. “Together, we are helping to accelerate recovery and helping communities like Altadena rebuild stronger.”

The groundbreaking follows more than a year of recovery planning across Altadena. Other organizations, including San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity, have also begun construction on homes for underinsured owners. The Pasadena Community Foundation’s Altadena Builds Back Foundation has committed tens of millions of dollars toward rebuilding residential Altadena.

HCRN’s program targets households that lack insurance or are severely underinsured — residents who, without outside assistance, face the prospect of permanent displacement from a community many have called home for decades.

For information about HCRN’s rebuilding program, visit www.hcrn.info or contact Valerie Cox at Val@hcrn.info or 574-320-1685.

The Campbells’ lot sits empty no longer. Where a home once stood, and where the fire left nothing, the work of rebuilding has begun.