January 2026

Creatively Supporting Our Village Community

By Suzi Hoge
Posted: 02/27/2025

Pasadena Villagers involved in Fire Relief efforts met for the second time on Thursday, February 6 via Zoom. The agenda consisted of a general update and reporting on the various supports and resources being offered to folks who had lost their homes in the Eaton Fire.

Nathan Wolford, Villager & Volunteer Coordinator, reported that many volunteers have been providing multiple supports and services ranging from providing housing, to delivering meals, donating furniture and household items, delivering air purifiers, and supporting their peers during meetings with insurance adjusters and the onerous process of purchasing a new car. Volunteers are still needed to continue making connection phone calls. Villagers who are able to provide short or longer-term housing to fellow Villagers are also needed. Some folks who have been unhoused – permanently or temporarily – have begun to find longer temporary housing. Several still need to find more permanent housing solutions.

Tino Melchor, Village Intern, shared a project sponsored by the De-Cluttering Group. A computerized database is being developed to list items that Villagers are willing to donate to a fire survivor. The database will be organized by sections such as furniture and houseware, and it will include a photo when possible and contact information for the person who is offering it. When Villagers need items (knowing that this time will vary widely for folks) they can look through the offerings and contact the donor. This will help everyone who wants to help, have excess items to share, as well as providing items for Villagers who need them.

Out of the Ashes, a non-profit organization in San Diego, has developed a Home Loss Fire System. It is an accordion-style file with labeled sections and informational hand-outs in it, designed to help organize all the paperwork after a fire. Out of the Ashes donated over 20 of these file systems to Pasadena Village, and Dan Guerrero, Transportation Team leader, picked them up in Venice Beach.  An introductory workshop was held on February 11 and the system was explained and distributed to attendees. The file systems is also available digitally which some Villagers prefer, and more are available for pick up or delivery.

Phoenix Rising is a new Village Support Group being organized by Wayne April.  Wayne said, “I will loosely facilitate.” The group’s members are Villagers who are impacted and displaced by the Eaton Fire. The first meeting took place on February 16th on Zoom and you can find an article about it in this issue.

Pasadena Village is working with several Mental Health Partners, Independence at Home, Foothill Family, and Firefly Counseling. Weekly group counseling, provided by Independence at Home, began in February and will be available in the Village office on Wednesdays at 1:00 PM. The group is also providing free services and educational presentations, such as a free public presentation on Managing Anxiety on March 6.

Foothill Family, through its Foothill Flourish program, is providing a free counseling session for impacted adults. In addition, Villagers can access four additional counseling sessions at no cost to them, paid for through the Pasadena Village Fire Relief Fund. Contact Katie Brandon at [email protected] for more information. Firefly Counseling is another partner in providing mental health support.

Katie stated, “Older adults can face barriers to access resources, as well as relief and recovery information.” One page of Pasadena Village’s online resource website – AgingSGV.org has a wealth of information listing Fire Relief information. The information is checked and updated regularly. The sections dealing with Elder Abuse and Fraud will be expanded in the wake of the increased in predatory practices and need for trusted sources when dealing with unfamiliar agencies and entities. About Senior Solutions is another partner who can assist with housing and help navigate recovery including FEMA and insurance claims.

A special issue of Voice of the Village was published in early February. Articles focused on Villagers and responses to the Eaton Fire.  How our community was impacted and how it is responding is amazing.

Dick Myers, Board President, spoke about the Village Blog regarding the Eaton Fire as a space for updates and status reports as well as personal stories.  It will provide historical documentation for the experience we are living through.