Investment boosts hope for Altadena

State officials say $4 million will be used for affordable housing after fire.

- GRACE TOOHEY

L.A. COUNTY Supervisor Kathryn Barger embraces Eaton fire survivor Carmen Logan on Wednesday.

For several days after the Eaton fire tore through Altadena, Wayne Clarvoe couldn't bear to leave his fire-damaged building.

He stayed in his truck outside the affordable senior complex, trying to keep an eye on things: warding off looters, putting out ember flare-ups, responding to flooding when the building's sprinklers finally burst back on.

"This is my home," the 64year-old said of the Altadena Vistas Apartments, where he lived for more than a decade.

Eventually, he bouncing from place to place, struggling to find a spot that he could afford and where he felt truly welcome.

But on Wednesday- for the first time in almost a year - Clarvoe said he felt some hope that he finally might be able to return home.

"This is the beginning of all of the residents coming back," Clarvoe said, grinning.

State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, a Democrat who represents Altadena, announced a $4-million investment of state funds in affordable housing for Eaton fire survivors, half of which was reserved for repairs and remediation of the Altadena Vistas complex.

It's part of a pot of $8 million that Pérez worked to secure to help bring more of the community's families back home, the senator said.