[photo credit: The Eaton Fire Collaborative]
The open house at 540 West Woodbury Road marks a wellness-specific event at the Collaboratory, a centralized hub where more than 200 community groups, nonprofits, and civic agencies coordinate long-term recovery for survivors of the January 2025 Eaton Fire. The fire destroyed more than 9,000 structures in Altadena, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre and killed 19 people, according to Cal Fire. A survey by the Eaton Fire Collaborative found that as of late 2025, 45 percent of homeowners and nearly three-quarters of renters who lost their homes were still searching for housing.
The Collaboratory, housed in a former Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mission Control facility, offers case management, mental health support, youth services, wellness programs, and a free distribution center where displaced families can pick up essentials, according to the Eaton Fire Collaborative. The space was established with nearly $975,000 from the Pasadena Community Foundation, the California Community Foundation, and other donors, including a $200,000 PCF grant and a matching grant from Altadena Builds Back Foundation partner Molly Munger, according to PCF.
“The Collaboratory represents an important and visible milestone in the collaborative’s mission to unify precious resources, assistance, and information so that survivors can take control of their recovery,” Antonio Manning, chair of the Eaton Fire Collaborative, said at the hub’s grand opening in October 2025.
The Eaton Fire Collaborative describes itself as a survivor-led network that adapts national, evidence-based recovery practices to local needs. More than 30 organizations work out of the Collaboratory on a daily basis, with as many as 45 participating in rotation, according to the collaborative.
“We are survivors helping survivors,” Bree Jensen, vice chair of the Eaton Fire Collaborative, said at the October opening. “This collaboratory is more than just a physical space – it’s a home for survivorship and a testament to our communities’ ability to not only survive but thrive.”
The Pasadena Community Foundation has raised more than $83 million in the first year of its Eaton Fire response and distributed more than $24 million to over 110 nonprofit partners, according to the foundation. PCF-funded mental health initiatives have reached fire survivors through more than 20 nonprofit organizations, according to a community recovery resource guide.
Jeannine Bogaard, vice president of community impact at the Pasadena Community Foundation, has said the foundation supports a recovery effort that is “created by and for those affected by the fire.”
The Wellness Open House is Thursday, March 26, at the Collaboratory, 540 West Woodbury Road, Altadena, CA 91001. For information, contact facilities@efclc.org or visit eatonfirecollaborative.org.
“The need is still huge,” Jill Hawkins, an early founder of the collaborative, said at the facility’s opening. “People are still living in motels, in cars. This is going to be a long road.”
WELLNESS OPEN HOUSE AT EATON FIRE COLLABORATORY Date & Time: Thursday, March 26, 2026 at 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.. Venue: The Collaboratory, 540 West Woodbury Road, Altadena, CA 91001. Phone Number: 626-765-6037; facilities@efclc.org (email contact). Website: https://www.eatonfirecollaborative.org/thecollaboratory
