On Tuesday, September 1, community members and friends gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity’s 20th home being built in Altadena following the devastating Eaton Fire.
The milestone is especially meaningful for Ranell, an Altadena resident who has called the community home since 1974. A longtime nurse who spent 34 years serving others at LACUSD Medical Center and was not sure how she was going to be able to see her home built before finding SGV Habitat.
Now, with SGV Habitat’s support, she is looking forward to returning to the community she loves and beginning a new chapter in a new home.
Ranell’s journey is one of perseverance and faith: after months of praying and running out of options, a life-changing phone call Paul Van Ast, SGV Habitat’s director of Donor Partnerships (and an Altadena resident) opened the door to a new path forward. Ranell calls Paul her “gift from God” and says, “Paul answered my prayers.”
From that first connection, our Housing Recovery team began walking alongside her and will guide through the next few months as her home is built and her family returns to their neighborhood roots.
