They had already lived in five different places – and in five different neighborhoods – since evacuating a month earlier. There was the pullout sofa in a friend's garage in Woodland Hills and a blur of short-term rentals in Valley Village, Alhambra, Pasadena and Fairfax.
Both retired, they were running short on cash. They hadn't received any insurance money on their underinsured home in Altadena that was destroyed by the Eaton fire. After so many moves and so much uncertainty, they felt "totally overwhelmed," Sullivan said.
Their Los Feliz rental house came with just a bed and kitchen table. Besides that, the place went unfurnished for three months.
"I was in a mental state where I was just in shock," Sullivan recalled. "I didn't want to buy anything and I just couldn't believe everything was really gone. I was just kind of shut down. So it took time to realize all of that's gone and we need some things."
In May, she stopped by the Altadena Disaster Recovery Center where fire survivors could receive services and apply for disaster aid. That's when she saw the table of volunteers and staff members from Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) who were set up in the back room.
CORE was on the front lines of fire relief efforts, rapidly delivering cash assistance to several thousand L.A. wildfire survivor households. So far, the nonprofit organization has provided just over $3 million in direct assistance.
CORE received a grant from the California Community Foundation's Wildfire Recovery Fund , which has awarded over $30 million to more than 200 nonprofit organizations in L.A. County. More than a dozen other CCF wildfire fund grantees have provided direct relief to fire survivors.
After a quick vetting process, Sullivan received a prepaid ATM card on the spot, and immediately cashed it at the nearest Vallarta Supermarket, which didn't deduct any fees, she said.
As soon as she got home, she went on Facebook Marketplace and found used dining chairs and some lamps. Those items filled a void in their house and provided a spark that led them to seek donated furniture to fill out the rest of their house.
"CORE helped our family get back on our feet," she said. "We were really in a tight spot … we didn't have a lot of funds coming in and they were there right at the right time."
In the initial relief phase, CORE gave an average of $760 per person in direct cash to meet the urgent needs of fire survivors, totaling $2.4 million.
The effort demonstrates how philanthropic support can deliver fast, dignified aid and sustain recovery as families work to rebuild, said Tracy Reines, CORE's disaster response lead for the L.A. wildfires.
"Being able to give folks some element of autonomy in a way that works for them is really important," Reines said.
The nonprofit – founded after the 2010 Haiti earthquake by Sean Penn and Ann Lee – is a global humanitarian organization that has provided relief to vulnerable people, including those affected by conflicts in Ukraine and Sudan and also hurricane-impacted areas in North Carolina.
Cash assistance has long been a key part of the organization's relief work. CORE's experience from prior relief efforts meant that its leaders were prepared to provide relief almost immediately, Reines said. Also key is having grants provided by philanthropic groups like CCF that enabled it to quickly identify the greatest needs during the crisis, she said.
"To have flexible resources so that we can do a cash program right out of the gate is a game changer for everyone involved," Reines said.
Now in the second phase, CORE's cash assistance program is focused on supporting some of the most vulnerable families – dozens of households from West Altadena impacted by the fire – who are struggling to pay for housing. Those families will receive an average of $7,500 over three months, totaling $637,000.
"It will certainly not get people over the incredible challenges they face, but it's something that we're really proud of," Reines said.
Altadena fire survivor Alphonso Browne, 66, met the CORE team at the Pasadena Convention Center shelter where he was staying after the Eaton fire destroyed the home where he lived and raised his children for more than three decades.
CORE was running a phone charging station at the convention center and Browne met a few team members and felt comfortable joking around with them. He said he quickly felt a connection.
"It just felt like a bond made in heaven," Browne said.
He later received cash assistance from CORE and used it to purchase groceries and gas. The cash was a one-time thing, but the team has continued to help Browne and his wife, Celestine, navigate a host of other challenges.
"The emotional support and the moral support they've given me is priceless," Browne said. "They have been there for me."
It's not just a hug or a handshake. His caseworker Simone has helped him apply and secure rental assistance from FEMA and the team is currently assisting him with legal issues surrounding his insurance claim. They also make sure he doesn't miss out on any benefits available for fire survivors.
In addition to cash assistance and case management, CORE's volunteers have distributed 40,000 hygiene kits and N95 masks and continue to give meals, clothes, diapers and other household items to fire survivors.
CORE has also remediated 150 housing units across L.A. County that were damaged by smoke and ash from the fires.
As smoke filled the sky in early January, Julia Winter, 77, hurried on foot to find her two grandchildren who had just been evacuated from Calvary Christian School in the Pacific Palisades.
After locating them, she walked down Sunset Boulevard alongside teachers to L.A. Fire Station 23 where her son-in-law was waiting for them. He whisked them away in his pickup truck.
"It was so scary for us because we never thought a fire would come down that far," Winter said.
She evacuated with her daughter's family to Westlake Village for two weeks and later moved in with the family in Topanga and stayed in a guest room for months. Her grandkids lovingly called it the "G-Suite" – after her nickname "G."
"I just walked down for breakfast and playtime with my grandkids – I bonded with them so much," Winter said. "I'm one of the lucky stories."
But Winter's condominium in the Casa Gateway affordable housing complex for seniors and families in the Palisades did sustain moderate smoke and ash damage from the fire.
The complex was also hit by debris and mud flows a month after the fire. Many senior residents were displaced for months because they were unable to cover insurance gaps to get the condos safe for their return, according to a spokesperson for CORE.
CORE utilized crews with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network as a subcontractor and so far they have completed 36 remediations there. Winter's condo was scrubbed this summer by a cleanup crew and said it saved her thousands of dollars, she said.
"I did not pay a cent. I was just totally stunned and grateful," said Winter, who was able to return to her condo this summer.
Each week, Sullivan, 63, drives back to Altadena where her Spanish-style home once stood. She waters the plumeria, succulents and other plants that survived the blaze.
Standing underneath a fire- scarred olive tree, she vowed to rebuild her home and return to the community she called home for more than two decades.
"We loved – *loved * - living here," she said. "We loved the mountains. It was such a treat to drive up and say we are going home and see those mountains. We are coming back and we are going to rebuild."
Media Contact: Gilien Silsby, Director of Media, California Community Foundation
Founded in 1915, the California Community Foundation (CCF) enables partnerships and investments, and champions advocacy for reforms that multiply impact for communities. Since 2000, the foundation has given more than $ 4.5 billion in grants. CCF's Wildfire Recovery Fund has raised over $100 million from more than 47,000 donors. The support provided critical, immediate relief to grantee—ensuring that families had access to shelter, food, medical care, and other vital services in the aftermath of destruction.
SOURCE California Community Foundation
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