Fire-damaged affordable housing complex in Altadena secures $2M in state funding for repairs

An affordable housing complex in Altadena will get $2 million in state dollars to help with remediation and repairs for wildfire damage, state and L.A. County officials announced this week.

Before the Eaton Fire damaged the facility, the Altadena Vista Senior Apartments provided 21 housing units for people aged 55 and over with incomes at or below 60% of the area median income.

The Eaton Fire did an estimated $7 million in damage to the complex, according to the Los Angeles County Development Authority, which has owned and operated the complex for more than three decades.

Insurance will cover about half of the complex’s nearly $2 million claim, according to the authority.

The influx of state dollars will allow it to bring these much-needed affordable housing units back online within about a year, officials said.

State Sen. Sasha Renée Peréz advocated for the state general fund dollars to be used for the Altadena complex’s recovery.

"We want to get people back inside fast,” Peréz said Wednesday at a press event. "This location was identified as a space that needed some additional financial assistance, and we could get 21 people back into housing very quickly."

Most displaced residents are planning to return, but about six have decided to permanently relocate to other areas, according to the development authority.

Before the fire, Wayne Clarvoe had lived at the apartment complex since 2014. The 64-year-old said he’s been struggling to find affordable rent elsewhere.

"The cost of living here was fair,” Clarvoe said of his former home. "I was able to afford the rent, compared to what's going on now.

"This is a very special day for me. This is the beginning of all of the residents coming back to Altadena, and especially this building here."

Fire damage

The area where the apartments are located didn’t receive an official evacuation order until 5:42 a.m. Jan. 8, according to county officials.

But Clarvoe said he and about 20 other residents decided to leave the buildings the previous night.

Sometime the next morning, Clarvoe said, he noticed one of the apartment buildings had caught on fire. He flagged down firefighters for help.

"The fire was in the walls and traveling up into the attic," Clarvoe said. "If we'd have waited any longer, this building would not have been standing here."

Two units at the Altadena Vista Apartments were badly damaged by the Eaton Fire.

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Aaron Schrank

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LAist

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Two units were damaged by the flames. The complex’s carports and roof were damaged by embers. And water from fire sprinklers warped walls and carpets in several units.

During the repairs, the development authority said it will update the facility. For example, it hopes to make all units accessible for residents with disabilities, instead of just a few.

The authority’s director of construction and asset management, Carolina Romo, said the complex settled its insurance claim Dec. 16, nearly a year after filing it.

A community need 

Peréz said she worked with the nonprofit Department of Angels to identify community priorities for wildfire recovery. Affordable housing, particularly for older adults, quickly rose to the top, she said.

At Wednesday's press event, officials highlighted a survey by the Eaton Fire Collaborative that found 78% of renters can’t afford the asking price for a one-bedroom unit in Altadena.

There were fewer than 200 federally subsidized units in Altadena before the Eaton Fire, according to a UCLA report. More than a quarter of renters there were spending half of their income on housing.

Officials say the state funding will accelerate the rebuilding process.

"This investment is a major step to protect needed housing for seniors who deserve to age in place," said L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Altadena.

However, the funds won’t cover the full cost of Altadena Vista’s remediation and repairs.

Barger has authored a separate L.A. County motion requesting more than $4 million from a federal grant program to cover the rest.

The funding for the Altadena Vista Apartments is part of a larger $8 million in state general fund dollars Peréz secured for rapid rehousing efforts in Altadena, she said.

That includes $1 million for San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity and $1 million for Greenline Housing Foundation.