Stacey McCarroll, Director of Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance shares her story:
I spent an afternoon with our EPRA volunteer, Emily, who lost her home in Altadena. She has been staying in a hotel in Glendale, very close to my home. I invited her to do a load of laundry (I borrowed the idea from a Facebook post on the page of another friend in Altadena who lost her home).
We sat outside so her cute puppy could enjoy the backyard. My husband, Andrew, made us tea and brought us lunch. I asked her a lot of questions about the experience, and we had a little afternoon respite. She and her wife lost their home of 30 years. Through the generosity of the community, friends, a responsive insurance company, and other relief services, they are getting back on track. They just found a home to rent and will be moving in shortly. They have received an abundance of expressions of help.
Our volunteers provide so much support to our staff and our clients, that I wanted to see if I could make some small gesture to help bring her back to life. As Emily shared with me, a small respite at someone’s home can do wonders for the soul and restore the feeling of hope that there is a chance for normal life again. As we focus on supporting the community, we are attentive to our staff and volunteers who have also been impacted by the fires.
Yes where do I sign up for the fire relief we’re still displaced from a fire me and my disabled son and we need help we cannot get any help anywhere seems like FEMA keeps putting us off and Red Cross as well
Hi Jim. We are so sorry to hear about your loss. Depending on what kind of help your are hoping for will point you in the direction with our programs. Please visit: https://friendsindeedpas.org/programs/ and lick on what you are in need of; there will be contact information for who to reach out to directly. Thank you.