The house of Joseph Collins’ parents is still standing in Altadena. That’s what makes it even harder to explain why, more than a year after the Eaton fire, they still can’t return.
Collins, a third-generation resident of the neighborhood, has spent months upon agonizing months of filing complaints, chasing insurance responses, following up with state agencies, and fighting contractors just to move repairs forward, becoming his parents’ de facto legal advocate in a process he says feels designed to stall.
“One of the biggest challenges that we continue to face is pushback from our insurance company instead of working towards a solution. It often feels like we receive scripted responses,” Collins explained during a press briefing on Thursday, April 9, hosted by the Black Freedom Fund.
As his family is among the over 30,000 who either lost or could not return to their home, his experience is far from unique. New data shared during Thursday’s briefing revealed the recovery has largely stalled for Black homeowners in Altadena. Months after the fire, nearly three-quarters of those whose homes were destroyed had not taken any formal steps to rebuild or re-enter their homes. What’s more, two-thirds of fire-damaged homes that were sold went to investors.
“History has a word for this process, and it’s called displacement,” said Lisa Odigi, an Altadena-based realtor and housing advocate.
In January 2025, the Eaton fire tore through Altadena, damaging or destroying thousands of homes in one of Los Angeles County’s most historic Black communities. In the months since, many Black homeowners have found themselves unable to rebuild, caught in a web of insurance disputes, delayed permits, contractor issues, and rising costs. Delays, denials, and red tape are determining who gets to come back and who does not, as homeowners struggle to access the resources needed to rebuild while investors are swooping in to acquire damaged properties.
“These are not isolated stories. They’re not individual incidents. They’re a shared reality,” Marc Philpart, president and CEO of the BFF, noted during the briefing, describing what residents are facing across the community.
Within days of the wildfires, the BFF partnered with the California Community Foundation to launch the Black LA Relief and Recovery Fund, which has directed millions of dollars to grassroots groups on the ground in Altadena and Pasadena to provide direct aid, stabilize displaced families, and support long-term rebuilding and organizing efforts.
For Emeka Chukwurah, owner of Rhythms of the Village, the loss is generational. Founded in 2013 on North Lake Avenue, the Black-owned shop served as both a retail space and a cultural hub, known for African art, handmade clothing, jewelry, textiles, and traditional instruments, while also hosting drum circles, classes, and community gatherings that brought residents together.
When the Eaton fire tore through the area, it destroyed the business entirely, along with more than $1 million in inventory.
“It was a burning of a legacy, a burning of years of hard work and Rhythms of the Village, you know, a sacred oasis, a space where black people, all people, felt seen, heard and represented,” Chukwurah said. “You know, it was also my inheritance.”
To understand what’s being lost, residents say, you have to understand exactly what Altadena had.
By the 1950s and 1960s, as segregation and redlining shut Black families out of nearby Pasadena and much of Los Angeles County, Altadena became one of the few places where Black residents could buy homes and start to build generational wealth. Over the years, it grew into one of the most significant Black middle-class enclaves in the region, with unusually high rates of Black homeownership and multi-generational households.
“This was one of few places at that time, in the 1950s and later on where Black families could actually buy homes and get loans to buy homes and find safety within those spaces,” community leader Brandon Lamar recalled.
That legacy drew a wide range of Black families and cultural figures, including writer Octavia E. Butler, who lived in Altadena for years before her death in 2006, and the family of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, who also put down roots in the area early on.
“I want to come back,” said Rose Robinson, daughter of Olympian Mack Robinson, Jackie’s big bro, who was displaced by the fire. “Where I’m displaced … I don’t feel right.”
Even for those able to move forward, the process has been anything but straightforward. Jarvis Emerson, who is among the few residents nearing a return to his rebuilt home, is the exception, not the rule.
“If God says the same, no more delays. We should be back in our home within about the next four to six weeks,” Emerson said.
“It’s very frustrating… when I had to constantly call and call and call,” he added.
Advocates say what’s needed now is more urgency, with insurers processing and paying claims in full so repairs can move forward and families can return. But they are calling for stronger state oversight to ensure insurance companies, contractors, and mortgage servicers follow through instead of delaying or withholding funds already approved for recovery. Additionally, protections to slow investor purchases are critical, as prolonged delays are leaving homeowners vulnerable to selling before they have a real chance to rebuild.
“What happens next is a choice,” Odigi said.
