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Habitat For Humanity of Greater LA Helping Palisades & Malibu Fire Victims Get Back Home · The iHeart SoCal Show

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Lisa Fox here. This is the I Heart SoCal show
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: where it's all about.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: What Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles does not
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: only to build homes, but build hope. They're all about
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: transforming neighborhoods by bringing the community together to build affordable homes,
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: provide critical home repairs, and help families rebuild after natural disasters.
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: They do so much. HabitatLA.com.
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: Helps families access affordable loans, housing counseling, down payment assistance,
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: and so much more. They've been helping local fire victims
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: for years. And of course, several local communities who lost
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: everything in our most recent 2025 LA wildfires. They have
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: been doing so much. They're about to kick off a
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: massive four-day rebuild event in the Palisades. All the info
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: for all their programs is at habitatla.org.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: But on to tell us more is my friend, their
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: longtime CEO, Aaron Rank. Hi, Aaron.
• 0:52
  Speaker 3: Hi, Lisa. How are you?
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: Are you building something right now? You're always so busy. Wait,
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: I hear the hammer going now. This lady is so busy.
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: We are always building.
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: I was going to say, when are you not building?
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: I always picture you like you have your work gloves on.
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: You got a hammer in hand. You're just ready.
• 1:10
  Speaker 3: My hard hat, my tool belt.
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: Yes, hard hat, tool belt, all this stuff. This girl
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: is ready, as is her massive team. Habitat for Humanity
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: of Greater Los Angeles. Thank goodness you have such a
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: sweet patient family because I know you work a lot.
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: There's so much work to be done. I want to
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: touch on what you've been doing for fire victims, but
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: also what you guys have been doing for decades to
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: help so many. Did I see somewhere the 50th anniversary
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: for Habitat for Humanity?
• 1:36
  Speaker 3: The best global habitat. Habitat for Humanity was founded 50
• 1:40
  Speaker 3: years ago.
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: Wow.
• 1:42
  Speaker 3: Now in 60 countries around the world and a thousand
• 1:44
  Speaker 3: communities in the United States. Look at that. We are...
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: We are part of a bigger housing movement.
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: And then normally, like here in Southern California, you know,
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: your regular job before we have these insane natural disasters
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: that are so scary, which happen sadly more than we
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: want to. I mean, normally you're just developing projects and
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: helping people get into homes because housing is so expensive,
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: especially here.
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: In California.
• 2:08
  Speaker 3: That's right. We want to give people the opportunity to
• 2:11
  Speaker 3: be first-time homebuyers. And so we are building new homes
• 2:15
  Speaker 3: throughout Los Angeles County, all the way from Lancaster to
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: Long Beach and from the west side to the east side.
• 2:21
  Speaker 3: And we have about 300 projects in the pipeline, homes
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: in the pipeline right now that are not wildfire related.
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: And then Of course, we've helped thousands of survivors since
• 2:33
  Speaker 3: the fires last year. And we have a whole group
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: that we're working with in the Palisades and Malibu area
• 2:40
  Speaker 3: to help them rebuild. Many people don't realize that there
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: is a need in this community. And in fact, all
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: of Los Angeles is mixed income. All our communities have
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: folks of different income levels. And we found that in
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: the Palisades, there was a large number of households who
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: were don't have the resources to rebuild. Maybe they've been
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: living in their home for decades and have had either
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: their insurance drop them or it expired or it wasn't
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: enough to cover a rebuild. And so there's 160 households
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: in the Palisades that are habitat qualified that we're working
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: with right now. Wow, 160.
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: That's so great.
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: We had so many seniors there and people Like you're saying,
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: in every different situation, you know, as I've mentioned on
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: the radio before, my Eric grew up in the Palisades
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: and we were rebuilding.
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: his home.
• 3:32
  Speaker 4: For the future, which, you know, he and his whole
• 3:34
  Speaker 4: block and we lost blocks and blocks and blocks and
• 3:36
  Speaker 4: pretty much most of the town. And, but to know
• 3:39
  Speaker 4: so many neighbors, everyone's story is so different and sure
• 3:43
  Speaker 4: there is rebuilding, there is rebuilding happening, but many people are,
• 3:46
  Speaker 4: are stuck and many people are stuck for many reasons.
• 3:49
  Speaker 4: So it's not a really, um, people in the Palisades
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  Speaker 4: or Malibu, they have money.
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: They'll be fine.
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  Speaker 2: It's like, that's, that's not, true and no one's fine,
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: but the help and bringing the community together to help
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: people through the worst.
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: Of times is everything.
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  Speaker 2: And you don't know everyone's situation just because they happen
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: to live in a beautiful town that's by the ocean.
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: You know, you don't know everyone's story and the fact
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: that they can go to your website and apply for
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: for help, or the more people that we know, we
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: can spread the word that this help is available for
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: the right candidates, then that's a beautiful thing. So talk
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: about that process, Erin. Again, you've helped so many in Altadena.
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: It's an ongoing thing in all the towns affected by
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: the 2025 fires, right? Altadena, parts of Topanga, Malibu, Palisades.
• 4:33
  Speaker 3: That's right. Some of the unincorporated areas, absolutely. And so
• 4:38
  Speaker 3: we're not comparing survivors. That is not our goal here.
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: Our goal is to help anyone who's qualified for Habitat's programs,
• 4:46
  Speaker 3: who's income qualified and has a gap. So we just
• 4:51
  Speaker 3: were humbled to hear some of the stories of seniors
• 4:55
  Speaker 3: or widow folks or folks whose income was tied to
• 4:58
  Speaker 3: their home. So they not only lost their home and
• 5:00
  Speaker 3: all their belongings, but their source of income as well.
• 5:04
  Speaker 3: And so, as you said, everyone's in a different situation,
• 5:07
  Speaker 3: but we have We have 160 approved households and another
• 5:12
  Speaker 3: 167 or so that are in our pipeline that made
• 5:14
  Speaker 3: our eligibility as well, just in the Palisades fire areas.
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: And what is so exciting is that the community is
• 5:24
  Speaker 3: still enthusiastic about coming out to support wildfire survivors. And
• 5:30
  Speaker 3: next week during our four-day build, we have people from
• 5:36
  Speaker 3: corporations and foundations and individuals who are all stepping forward
• 5:41
  Speaker 3: to pick up a hammer and clear a lot or
• 5:47
  Speaker 3: help a family fix up their standing home so they
• 5:49
  Speaker 3: can move back in. And many people don't realize that
• 5:53
  Speaker 3: three out of every four survivors is still not back home.
• 5:56
  Speaker 3: So we're here to say we have not forgotten and
• 5:59
  Speaker 3: we have resources and we're willing to bring the community together.
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: We'll probably have over 500 volunteers over the four days
• 6:08
  Speaker 3: from the community coming out to help. That's Yeah, it's
• 6:13
  Speaker 3: really a matter of listening to what survivors need. And
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: we're starting two brand-new homes that are rebuilt. We're fixing
• 6:21
  Speaker 3: up three standing homes. We have a few lots that
• 6:25
  Speaker 3: we're clearing. There's another house that's almost finished with construction,
• 6:29
  Speaker 3: and we'll be doing landscape and exterior repairs. And then
• 6:32
  Speaker 3: we also asked the community what community projects were a
• 6:35
  Speaker 3: priority for them to see, get back to, you know,
• 6:40
  Speaker 3: how they were before the fires. And so we have.
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: Can you build back our grocery store? Can you build
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: back our Gelson's? We haven't heard.
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: We've heard they plan to rebuild.
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: We just don't know when. And it's just such an
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: important place to gather community-wise. It's our grocery stores.
• 6:58
  Speaker 3: Well, I sure hope it would come back because they
• 7:01
  Speaker 3: are a good community partner and the community needs them
• 7:04
  Speaker 3: to come back. So I hope that happens.
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: Absolutely. And we just, you know, just like we all
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: wish it was sooner, sooner than later.
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: But also like what you're talking about, Erin, about helping
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: some existing structures that quote unquote survive the fires with
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: some repairs and things that they need to get back
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: in there. In many cases, what we heard when Eric
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: and I were going to some of these, you know,
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: town meetings and get-togethers as people tried to, different groups
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: tried to guide us as to how to find a
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: way to build back if we could afford to, if
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: we wanted to, if we were able to. Offered Dede
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: Hirsch mental health counseling. A lot of people are really
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: trying to help fire victims, which is really beyond kind.
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: We met so many new neighbors that we didn't know
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: before in these meetings, and we're still, you know, talking
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: and texting all the time. And what we found in
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: these meetings is that people whose homes survived, like you
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: never think you'd hear someone say, I wish our home
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: burned down because the insurance has been even harder for
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: those whose homes survived with helping to clean them, properly
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: clean them. The insurance company has been terrible to most
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: people that we know about, including my Eric. But the
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: people who, can you imagine your house survives and then
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: you wish it didn't because it's even harder to to
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: get the help you need from your insurance company or
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: the money you need from your insurance company or just
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: in general, what it costs to get back into your
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: home because of the smoke damage and all this stuff,
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: you can't even live there. It's survived, but you can't
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: live there because of all these rules and all these
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: things that happened and your insurance company won't help you
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: get back in there or won't give you enough to
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: get back in there the right way to where it's safe.
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: And it's just so frustrating.
• 8:38
  Speaker 3: Yeah. After a house has suffered from significant smoke damage
• 8:43
  Speaker 3: from being near the fire, then you really want to
• 8:47
  Speaker 3: replace the drywall, the flooring, all the furnishings. And that
• 8:51
  Speaker 3: can be quite expensive. And most insurance companies are not
• 8:56
  Speaker 3: covering all those costs. So for households that need to
• 9:00
  Speaker 3: essentially take the house back to the framing, to the studs,
• 9:04
  Speaker 3: as we say, then we need to, you know, that's
• 9:07
  Speaker 3: a significant cost. And so we are helping families with
• 9:11
  Speaker 3: standing home repairs and financing to do that. So that's something, Lisa,
• 9:15
  Speaker 3: I would love to get out to your listeners, is
• 9:18
  Speaker 3: that if you are still navigating the path towards rebuilding
• 9:23
  Speaker 3: or repairing your home, Habitat has financial resources that can
• 9:28
  Speaker 3: maybe help bridge the gap and get you back home.
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  Speaker 3: So I want to make sure survivors who are listening
• 9:34
  Speaker 3: hear that and reach out to Habitat. And we have
• 9:38
  Speaker 3: a team of Rebuild Navigators who will listen to your
• 9:41
  Speaker 3: story and help you walk through some of the opportunities
• 9:44
  Speaker 3: that we might be able to provide.
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we were so grateful to have many conversations with
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: you guys. And again, grateful to have some financial assistance
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: from you in the beginning. Eric did decide to list
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: his property. We are going to turn the page and
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: move in a different direction just because it's been.
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: so emotional.
• 10:01
  Speaker 4: But you guys have been really wonderful. And I'm just like,
• 10:05
  Speaker 4: how are they so connected? You guys know everybody. You're like,
• 10:08
  Speaker 4: build back with our team. Let our team do it.
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: I mean, you've been doing this for a long time,
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: but to have this trust in what you do, I mean,
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: you've been with them, again, you were a volunteer for
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: a long time and then worked your way up into
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: management and then has been the CEO for a long time. But,
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: you know, these same companies and people that you partner with.
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: I mean, talk about the trust, because I think that's
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: been a big issue, too, for fire victims and people
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: in general who want to do any building. You're like,
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: I don't know who to trust. Am I Googling a
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: five-star construction company?
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: Like, who am I putting on? You know, where do
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: I start asking?
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: I'm asking friends. Where do I start and who do
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: I know to trust with my money, my time, my patience?
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: And then, you know, we hear these nightmares about these
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: projects and they just linger on and on and on.
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: It costs money.
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: We have a budget and so much money.
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: It's just can be super stressful.
• 10:56
  Speaker 3: Well, since we are a nonprofit, we don't have a
• 10:59
  Speaker 3: financial motive to help people. We're actually providing all of
• 11:03
  Speaker 3: our rebuild navigators for no cost. And our team, even
• 11:08
  Speaker 3: if we are not the ones to help you rebuild
• 11:10
  Speaker 3: your house, we will vet your contractors. We'll check your
• 11:13
  Speaker 3: bids to see if it makes sense, if they're including everything,
• 11:16
  Speaker 3: if they're overcharging. And we can check licenses and insurance
• 11:20
  Speaker 3: to make sure that, you know, you have some assurance
• 11:24
  Speaker 3: that you're dealing with a company.
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: That seems reputable.
• 11:27
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: Well, because nowadays, you know, they're putting all these flashy
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: videos on Instagram. And you're like, wow, look at all these.
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: videos on Instagram that looks like they've done a lot
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: in the past. However, Oh wait, they have two followers.
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: Wait a minute. I'm so confused.
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: You have a 150 videos of all these projects, but
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: two followers on Instagram.
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: I mean, it's yeah.
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: So, but you guys vet them, you call them, you
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: check them out, you make the phone calls and give
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: us feedback as to whether or not they would be
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: a good idea to go this way or that way
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: or this way.
• 11:54
  Speaker 4: Right.
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  Speaker 3: Yes. And we also have about 50 homes that are
• 11:58
  Speaker 3: pre-approved with the city and In our partnership with Foothill Catalog,
• 12:02
  Speaker 3: so people can save costs by selecting one of these
• 12:07
  Speaker 3: many home designs and also save time because they're pre-approved
• 12:11
  Speaker 3: for permitting and you don't have to go through the
• 12:13
  Speaker 3: whole design and permitting process with the city. Yeah. Our
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: team will help you from that catalog. We'll tell you
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: what designs would fit on your lot and how they
• 12:24
  Speaker 3: would be situated for you to consider that as an
• 12:26
  Speaker 3: option as well.
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: Okay, and hang on, Erin.
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: I pulled this up online right now as we're speaking
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: because I remember hearing after the fires, I'm like, wow,
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: these two architects pulled this thing together pretty fast. The
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: Foothill Catalog Foundation, a nonprofit initiative launched by volunteer architects
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: who are also affected by the Altadena fires. They put
• 12:44
  Speaker 2: this together so that residents could rebuild quickly, affordably, and
• 12:47
  Speaker 2: cohesively after the wildfires of 2025.
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: It features LA County.
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: Approved architectural plans ranging from bungalows and Spanish style revivals
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: to mid-century modern and Tudor designs. Modeled after early 20th
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: century Sears Roebuck mail order catalogs, It offers pre-designed, pre-engineered
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: home plans to make quality architecture accessible. Put together by
• 13:11
  Speaker 2: architects Cynthia Sigler and Alex Athenson by using pre-approved blueprint
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: and catalog systems, it cuts down permitting friction, reduces architectural fees,
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: and provides predictability for builders and and displaced families. Oh, gosh,
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: God bless them. And these homes look beautiful online on
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: the Foothill Catalog website. And anyone can use these.
• 13:31
  Speaker 3: Right. Well, they have designed, they started out with about
• 13:35
  Speaker 3: five designs that they felt matched the Eaton community ethos
• 13:41
  Speaker 3: and the nature of the homes that had been in
• 13:45
  Speaker 3: Altadena and Pasadena. And then they did the same for
• 13:48
  Speaker 3: the Palisades. And one They work with the county to
• 13:51
  Speaker 3: get the Eaton fire designs approved. They work with the
• 13:54
  Speaker 3: city to get those designs approved. And their catalog has
• 13:59
  Speaker 3: really grown into over 50 designs that are pre-approved with
• 14:03
  Speaker 3: the city. And mind you, these designs now are pre-approved
• 14:06
  Speaker 3: for people to use even outside of the fire-affected areas.
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: I was going to say, it's not just for people
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: affected by the fires. It's really for anyone.
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: Wow.
• 14:14
  Speaker 3: Many communities and cities have this in place. I was in...
• 14:19
  Speaker 3: Lahaina recently helping rebuild there. And the state of Hawaii
• 14:25
  Speaker 3: and some of the counties have designs that anyone can
• 14:28
  Speaker 3: go in and say, okay, well, I'm going to pick
• 14:30
  Speaker 3: one of these pre-approved designs and, you know, build this
• 14:34
  Speaker 3: so that they know what it will cost. The builders
• 14:38
  Speaker 3: have already estimated what they would charge to build these homes.
• 14:42
  Speaker 3: And so... Having this catalog, and I hope it grows,
• 14:46
  Speaker 3: having the catalog really will help anyone who's looking at
• 14:49
  Speaker 3: building a house. But right now, we are using these
• 14:53
  Speaker 3: designs for people to consider as they're rebuilding their homes
• 14:57
  Speaker 3: on their properties that were affected by the fires.
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and there's so many different types of designs, whether
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: it's a smaller, more modest home or a two-story craftsman-style home.
• 15:08
  Speaker 2: There's also ADUs and garages and a studio apartment on
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: top of a garage. So there's a lot of different
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: things within the catalog. But like you said, helping people
• 15:17
  Speaker 2: right now get back into their homes, get back into
• 15:19
  Speaker 2: a home, any home, I mean, you know, even when
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: we drive back to the Palisades, you've got people who
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: are in an RV in front as they try to
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: figure things out. And it's a lot of people who
• 15:29
  Speaker 2: are stuck. And again, it's not about what community you
• 15:31
  Speaker 2: think has more money or not. This is about people
• 15:33
  Speaker 2: who lost everything and are trying to find their way
• 15:36
  Speaker 2: back to their home. And you've got this massive rebuild,
• 15:39
  Speaker 2: four-day rebuild event kicking off this coming Wednesday, Wednesday the
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: 23rd in the Palisades. Like you said, 500 volunteers participating.
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: It's a mixture of local residents, corporate and civic leaders,
• 15:51
  Speaker 2: entertainment and media partners, construction professionals, and community organizations. I mean,
• 15:55
  Speaker 2: the list of people coming is so crazy great from Fox,
• 16:00
  Speaker 2: the LA Rams, Paramount, Sony, Samsung Electronics, America, UTA, Talent Agency,
• 16:05
  Speaker 2: Warner Brothers Discovery, CAA, Comcast, NBCUniversal, a ton of celebrity
• 16:11
  Speaker 2: types who want to help who probably... knew someone or
• 16:13
  Speaker 2: were directly affected by the fires. A ton of locals
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: from the community. My Eric and I will be out there.
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: Of course, volunteer groups from the Red Cross, the Mosaic Church, St. Monica, Albertsons,
• 16:26
  Speaker 2: Home Depot. The list goes on and on. SoCal Gas Company,
• 16:30
  Speaker 2: Wells Fargo, my bank, woo. LA Kings, LA Rams, LAFC,
• 16:34
  Speaker 2: the Clippers. So many groups coming out to make this rebuild,
• 16:38
  Speaker 2: this four-day massive impact happen for so many people. in
• 16:42
  Speaker 2: the Palisades starting Wednesday. Oh, so grateful. And Erin, as
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: all these people come together, about 500 people coming together
• 16:49
  Speaker 2: for this Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles rebuild
• 16:53
  Speaker 2: four-day event in the Palisades, what are we hoping to
• 16:56
  Speaker 2: accomplish in these four days of all these people showing
• 16:59
  Speaker 2: up to work so hard to make things happen?
• 17:01
  Speaker 3: Well, we're hoping we'll finish the standing homes that we
• 17:04
  Speaker 3: have underway. We will have the framing in place for
• 17:07
  Speaker 3: two rebuilds. We will finish the landscaping and the exterior
• 17:12
  Speaker 3: walls for another home on ILIS. And We will reopen
• 17:18
  Speaker 3: the Palais Pathway by the YMCA. We'll do some work
• 17:22
  Speaker 3: at the Palisades Recovery Coalition offices and by Corpus Christi Church,
• 17:28
  Speaker 3: which was also unfortunately lost in the fires. And we'll
• 17:33
  Speaker 3: get some people on the way to clearing their lot
• 17:36
  Speaker 3: so they can put their foundations in.
• 17:37
  Speaker 1: Look at that.
• 17:38
  Speaker 2: Just trying to, you know, move things forward as we've...
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: It's been the hardest thing.
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: It's been about 20 months.
• 17:44
  Speaker 2: And to be able to move forward is so hard
• 17:47
  Speaker 2: because even we drive to Palisades, we see a lot happening,
• 17:52
  Speaker 2: which is encouraging. It does feel like there's a lot
• 17:54
  Speaker 2: of new people and newer, bigger, different structures than we
• 17:58
  Speaker 2: saw before, especially in Eric's neighborhood by the Gelson's. You know,
• 18:03
  Speaker 2: some of our neighbors are just waiting, waiting until it
• 18:05
  Speaker 2: builds back a little bit. If they're able, if they
• 18:07
  Speaker 2: can afford to wait, they're waiting until things just kind
• 18:10
  Speaker 2: of calm down a little bit. I know so many
• 18:11
  Speaker 2: families are determined to build back for their kids and
• 18:16
  Speaker 2: for their kids to have a reestablished home and be
• 18:19
  Speaker 2: able to go to their schools where their parents went.
• 18:23
  Speaker 2: All this tradition, they want to reestablish that. And my
• 18:26
  Speaker 2: hats go off to fire victims who want to just
• 18:29
  Speaker 2: build their communities back for their families.
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: It's a lot.
• 18:33
  Speaker 2: And what a sense of healing I hope this will
• 18:36
  Speaker 2: bring when 500 plus people come together to to make
• 18:40
  Speaker 2: a difference for people who have really had their lives
• 18:44
  Speaker 2: ripped out from under them and have just been going
• 18:46
  Speaker 2: through hell the past 20 months.
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: But to see people, they're rallying.
• 18:50
  Speaker 2: I like to think when we see this on the
• 18:52
  Speaker 2: news and videos all over social media, people will be like, oh,
• 18:55
  Speaker 2: this is such a nice thing. Every time we've gone
• 18:57
  Speaker 2: back to the Palisades for whether it's our one-year anniversary
• 19:01
  Speaker 2: or for Fourth of July, and then I know they
• 19:03
  Speaker 2: just opened up the Village shopping area. Every time everyone
• 19:06
  Speaker 2: comes together, it just feels good to feel like, okay,
• 19:09
  Speaker 2: whether people are able to build back or not or
• 19:11
  Speaker 2: move back there or they're figuring their stuff out, people
• 19:13
  Speaker 2: rallying and being there for each other is everything.
• 19:15
  Speaker 4: You see progress.
• 19:16
  Speaker 3: That's a good thing. It's not fast, but you can
• 19:18
  Speaker 3: see things moving in the right direction. Yeah.
• 19:21
  Speaker 2: And for the folks that applied to receive some help
• 19:24
  Speaker 2: from you from Habitat for Humanity Greater Los Angeles, is
• 19:27
  Speaker 2: it as easy as going to habitatla.org and they can
• 19:30
  Speaker 2: click around to the rebuild area, right?
• 19:32
  Speaker 1: And they can.
• 19:33
  Speaker 2: Apply right there to see if they can qualify for
• 19:36
  Speaker 2: any kind of help from you guys, right?
• 19:38
  Speaker 3: Yes. And also on Wednesday in Malibu and then Thursday
• 19:43
  Speaker 3: in the Palisades, we are having what we're calling our
• 19:47
  Speaker 3: Let's Open the Door event. So it's a it's a
• 19:50
  Speaker 3: chance for the community to come together and hear about
• 19:52
  Speaker 3: all of our programs, even fill out an application on
• 19:54
  Speaker 3: the spot if you want to.
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: Oh, look at that.
• 19:56
  Speaker 2: And so again, you're helping people in all fire affected areas.
• 19:58
  Speaker 2: So you're helping folks in Malibu as well, right?
• 20:01
  Speaker 3: Yes. We have homes that are, they're actually in the
• 20:04
  Speaker 3: unincorporated areas around Malibu, but they're getting started. So we
• 20:09
  Speaker 3: do have residents from throughout the affected areas.
• 20:12
  Speaker 2: Yeah. You know, we had a My girlfriend, Casey, Casey,
• 20:15
  Speaker 2: she's the CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Malibu.
• 20:17
  Speaker 2: And they have been helping, you know, kids and their
• 20:20
  Speaker 2: families and.
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: Also a lot of seniors.
• 20:22
  Speaker 3: Tremendous partners.
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: Yeah, in the Malibu area.
• 20:25
  Speaker 2: And she's like, boy, Malibu has had a really tough
• 20:27
  Speaker 2: time many people have never built back since the Woolsey fires.
• 20:30
  Speaker 2: So they've really have not been able to build back
• 20:33
  Speaker 2: at all for all kinds of reasons. And the community
• 20:36
  Speaker 2: is struggling in a lot of ways, but they've been
• 20:39
  Speaker 2: able to raise a lot of money and literally hand
• 20:41
  Speaker 2: out money directly to families who have lost everything and
• 20:44
  Speaker 2: try to help them with resources and help them get
• 20:47
  Speaker 2: a case manager to help with the individual stories and situations.
• 20:51
  Speaker 2: And we just raised a ton of money at the
• 20:52
  Speaker 2: Malibu Chili Cook-Off over Labor Day weekend, which was amazing.
• 20:56
  Speaker 2: And they are doing so much in there and this
• 20:57
  Speaker 2: for the long haul as well, just like you guys. So,
• 21:01
  Speaker 2: so grateful that you team up with other organizations who
• 21:04
  Speaker 2: are also making such a direct impact to those who
• 21:07
  Speaker 2: lost everything in and these fires.
• 21:10
  Speaker 3: Oh, yes, yes.
• 21:11
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 21:12
  Speaker 3: They're a trusted community partner and a thought partner of
• 21:15
  Speaker 3: ours in the Malibu area, definitely.
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: Boys and Girls Club of Malibu, we love you. So
• 21:20
  Speaker 1: this is pretty much all set to go.
• 21:22
  Speaker 2: You have all of your volunteers, all your people in
• 21:23
  Speaker 2: place to make amazing and magical things happen in the
• 21:26
  Speaker 2: Palisades area for this big rebuild event starting Wednesday.
• 21:31
  Speaker 1: What can we do? What can people do? What can people.
• 21:33
  Speaker 2: Listening do who want to help fire victims in this way?
• 21:36
  Speaker 2: I see my pal Lance Bass is on the list
• 21:39
  Speaker 2: of volunteers. Lance Bass from NSYNC.
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: He's a sweetheart. We love Lance.
• 21:43
  Speaker 3: Great. Yes. Yeah.
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: What will Lance be hammering?
• 21:46
  Speaker 2: Although I have seen him complete a few room additions
• 21:49
  Speaker 2: at his places over the years.
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: So he's a handy guy. So good call.
• 21:53
  Speaker 3: Framing walls.
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: Framing walls. Lance Bass. I'm going to call him right now.
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: That's great. He's a handy guy with a big heart.
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: So what more could you ask for? Maybe he'll do
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: a little singing. while he's hammering.
• 22:05
  Speaker 2: But he's a sweetheart and the people coming together for
• 22:07
  Speaker 2: this are obviously what they've seen on the news and
• 22:10
  Speaker 2: people that they know, friends or friends of a friend
• 22:12
  Speaker 2: or what they've seen on the news. People are touched
• 22:14
  Speaker 2: by this, and I think that's, I'm sure, why you
• 22:17
  Speaker 2: had such an outpouring of people wanting to volunteer and
• 22:19
  Speaker 2: wanting to be a part of this Build Back, this
• 22:21
  Speaker 2: rebuild event, this four-day event in the Palisades. And if
• 22:25
  Speaker 2: we want to volunteer or do something for upcoming events,
• 22:27
  Speaker 2: how can we get more involved? Or even just for
• 22:29
  Speaker 2: the fire-related, non-fire-related, but just get involved and help people
• 22:33
  Speaker 2: get back home.
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: How do we do that?
• 22:35
  Speaker 3: Well, that's important because this event is not a... You know,
• 22:39
  Speaker 3: Saturday is not the end of the process, right? This
• 22:41
  Speaker 3: is just to kick off the long-term recovery rebuilding work
• 22:45
  Speaker 3: for survivors. And so we want folks to come out
• 22:48
  Speaker 3: and be inspired to volunteer, you know, throughout the next year.
• 22:52
  Speaker 3: And Habitat is building year-round both in the Palisades and
• 22:57
  Speaker 3: Malibu area as well as throughout Los Angeles County. And
• 23:01
  Speaker 3: we'd love to, you know, have volunteers and supporters become
• 23:05
  Speaker 3: a part of our family and find a way to
• 23:09
  Speaker 3: give whatever their talents are that they like. And by
• 23:12
  Speaker 3: the way, as you know, we teach everybody everything they
• 23:16
  Speaker 3: need to know. When you show up on site, you
• 23:17
  Speaker 3: don't have to come. As a skilled builder, you can
• 23:21
  Speaker 3: come just as a willing volunteer and we'll give you
• 23:23
  Speaker 3: the tools and teach you anything you need to know
• 23:25
  Speaker 3: to have a great day and really make a difference.
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: You'll give us the tools literally and figuratively.
• 23:29
  Speaker 2: And then we come with, I'm sure, closed-toed shoes, maybe
• 23:32
  Speaker 2: some jeans on and appropriate clothing.
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: And then we'll just work, work, work.
• 23:38
  Speaker 2: We have like a project manager, right, for each site,
• 23:40
  Speaker 2: a project manager who's going to be like the main
• 23:42
  Speaker 2: person overseeing things.
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: And then are you going to be overseeing all of
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: it for all four days? It's a lot going on.
• 23:48
  Speaker 3: I'll be making sure everything runs smoothly, but with my team,
• 23:51
  Speaker 3: I know everything's going to go great, and I'll be
• 23:53
  Speaker 3: there to support them. And if anybody wants to get
• 23:56
  Speaker 3: more information, you can go to habitatla.org, which is our website,
• 24:00
  Speaker 3: or on any social media. It's at Habitat LA and
• 24:06
  Speaker 3: get in touch with us.
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: You'll be there to crack that whip, lady. You're going
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: to be there cracking that whip. Come on, people. Let's
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: get it going. Let's get it going.
• 24:13
  Speaker 2: Again, over the course of the next four days, starting
• 24:16
  Speaker 2: next Wednesday in the Palisades, more than 500 volunteers already
• 24:20
  Speaker 2: super organized. They're ready to get some things done and
• 24:23
  Speaker 2: help people get closer to being back at home physically.
• 24:26
  Speaker 2: post the fires, local residents, corporate and civic leaders, entertainment,
• 24:29
  Speaker 2: media partners, construction professionals, community organizations coming together to help
• 24:33
  Speaker 2: restore homes, neighborhoods, and hope. And that's what you've been
• 24:36
  Speaker 2: doing really the whole mission of Habitat for Humanity of
• 24:39
  Speaker 2: Greater Los Angeles. That's been your mission, but especially for
• 24:42
  Speaker 2: those after the fires, my gosh, it's so much more
• 24:45
  Speaker 2: work to be done.
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: But thank you for doing it. Thank you for being
• 24:48
  Speaker 1: there for people.
• 24:49
  Speaker 2: When they truly need you as they continue to navigate
• 24:53
  Speaker 2: just the hell they never thought would happen and to
• 24:56
  Speaker 2: see people coming together to try and have someone to
• 24:59
  Speaker 2: trust to go to and know that it might be feasible.
• 25:02
  Speaker 2: And even if they don't qualify for your services, they
• 25:04
  Speaker 2: can at least reach out to you and ask questions, right?
• 25:06
  Speaker 2: I mean, no one is too, you know, income's not
• 25:10
  Speaker 2: too low or too high to reach out and ask
• 25:12
  Speaker 2: questions and get some advice, right?
• 25:14
  Speaker 3: That's right. Yeah, we're here for anyone who needs it.
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: Habitatla.org for all the info.
• 25:20
  Speaker 2: And so many great videos all over social media, so
• 25:21
  Speaker 2: many inspired videos all over social media. Any stories you
• 25:25
  Speaker 2: want to share about any moments? Have you been able
• 25:27
  Speaker 2: to hand keys to anybody since the fires in terms
• 25:30
  Speaker 2: of a new home or a rebuild?
• 25:31
  Speaker 4: We're getting close.
• 25:33
  Speaker 3: We're getting close.
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: Getting close.
• 25:35
  Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah, and that's exciting. I think the inspiring stories
• 25:41
  Speaker 3: are about resilience, right? And people who love this community,
• 25:45
  Speaker 3: who have made it what it is up to this point,
• 25:49
  Speaker 3: and who really are wanting to find a way to
• 25:52
  Speaker 3: stay in this community. The other thing that you touched
• 25:55
  Speaker 3: on this a little bit that has always inspired me
• 25:58
  Speaker 3: is all of the informal leaders who came forward after
• 26:02
  Speaker 3: the wildfires to start to be block captains, to start
• 26:06
  Speaker 3: groups that were, you know, finding resources and supporting one another,
• 26:10
  Speaker 3: whether it's through social media, through spreadsheets, phone, phone trees
• 26:14
  Speaker 3: and everything else. I mean, the community has been the
• 26:18
  Speaker 3: main source of support for one another. And that says
• 26:22
  Speaker 3: a lot.
• 26:23
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 26:23
  Speaker 2: And it's so needed. It's really needed people, you know,
• 26:26
  Speaker 2: even just coming together, even for a hug. I mean,
• 26:28
  Speaker 2: I know we're going to be hammering this week, but
• 26:32
  Speaker 2: there'll be a lot of hugging, there'll be some tears,
• 26:34
  Speaker 2: and there'll be people who know we're doing a good
• 26:36
  Speaker 2: thing to help people get closer to getting back home.
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: And boy, when you're able to give keys... to some
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: of these.
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: Homes or rebuild homes or homes that were, you helped
• 26:46
  Speaker 2: get them past, you know, smoke damage and whatnot, or
• 26:48
  Speaker 2: brand new homes. The days when you pass out the keys, oh,
• 26:52
  Speaker 2: we're gonna be crying, have some champagne and a lot
• 26:55
  Speaker 2: of hugs. Those are gonna be some moments to share
• 26:58
  Speaker 2: for sure. And I can't wait to hear more about
• 27:00
  Speaker 2: those days. I mean, again, over a year and a half,
• 27:03
  Speaker 2: for thousands and thousands of fire victims in our communities.
• 27:07
  Speaker 2: And it'll be just.
• 27:08
  Speaker 3: Like, wow. And a lot of the volunteers next week
• 27:12
  Speaker 3: were affected by the fires. And that's why they're coming out.
• 27:17
  Speaker 3: So that's inspiring too.
• 27:19
  Speaker 2: So many people coming together and so many ways to
• 27:21
  Speaker 2: help and get involved. Again, like Erin is saying, this
• 27:24
  Speaker 2: work isn't done after a four-day massive rebuild, kind of
• 27:27
  Speaker 2: like a a big push, a big push to get
• 27:30
  Speaker 2: things moving, but the work will be ongoing. So if
• 27:33
  Speaker 2: you want to get more involved and find out how
• 27:35
  Speaker 2: you can help these fire victims build back through Habitat
• 27:38
  Speaker 2: for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, so many ways to
• 27:41
  Speaker 2: do that through donations, through volunteering, and just a ton
• 27:44
  Speaker 2: of things that they're involved with. And also, if you're
• 27:46
  Speaker 2: ever down to closet purge or purge your home and
• 27:50
  Speaker 2: what you have at your place, they have these restores,
• 27:53
  Speaker 2: It's a great way to donate your items. They've got
• 27:55
  Speaker 2: stores in Bellflower, Torrance, and on the Brea in Los Angeles.
• 27:58
  Speaker 2: I mean, it's kind of like a thrift store, but
• 28:01
  Speaker 2: you can donate your items to be sold at a
• 28:03
  Speaker 2: much lower price for folks who need your stuff.
• 28:06
  Speaker 3: They're crossed between a thrift store and a home improvement store.
• 28:08
  Speaker 3: So you'll find... home furnishings and, you know, some new
• 28:13
  Speaker 3: or very gently used and also home improvement materials like
• 28:17
  Speaker 3: doors and rugs and windows and cabinets and flooring and
• 28:21
  Speaker 3: things like that. Yeah.
• 28:22
  Speaker 1: Or like a home makeover or a home project.
• 28:25
  Speaker 3: Yeah. Right. So that was one of the things we
• 28:28
  Speaker 3: were able to provide to survivors as well was gift
• 28:31
  Speaker 3: cards to the restorer to go buy some of the
• 28:34
  Speaker 3: small appliances or things you needed for the place where
• 28:37
  Speaker 3: you're renting or Once they get back home, they can
• 28:40
  Speaker 3: use those to get furnishings because, like I said, a
• 28:44
  Speaker 3: lot of what we get is brand new from people
• 28:46
  Speaker 3: who are just discontinuing a line of something.
• 28:48
  Speaker 4: Right.
• 28:49
  Speaker 3: A lot of things you see at big box stores,
• 28:51
  Speaker 3: you'll also find in our store.
• 28:53
  Speaker 2: Yeah, but like bathroom vanities, like you said, couches, I mean,
• 28:57
  Speaker 2: a little bit of everything in there.
• 28:59
  Speaker 3: Yep, that's right.
• 29:00
  Speaker 1: And anyone can shop there. Anyone can shop there and
• 29:02
  Speaker 1: donate there.
• 29:03
  Speaker 3: That's right. Open seven days a week and we pick
• 29:05
  Speaker 3: up donations because we know that furnishings are really large
• 29:09
  Speaker 3: and hard to move. And all of the proceeds of
• 29:12
  Speaker 3: this store go to help us build more homes.
• 29:14
  Speaker 1: Look at that. Yay, I love that. The Restores.
• 29:17
  Speaker 2: Google for more restores, Habitat for Humanity restores in Bellflower
• 29:20
  Speaker 2: Torrance and on La Brea in Los Angeles. And again,
• 29:23
  Speaker 2: for all the information, doing such great work with such
• 29:25
  Speaker 2: a big heart and such big tools, making the magic happen.
• 29:29
  Speaker 2: Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles and the big
• 29:32
  Speaker 2: rebuild kickoff in the Palisades this coming Wednesday through the weekend, right?
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: It's four days. So Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Yeah, through Saturday.
• 29:40
  Speaker 2: And we plan to accomplish a lot in four days
• 29:42
  Speaker 2: to really move things forward and make people feel that
• 29:45
  Speaker 2: love and know they're supported and the encouragement is there
• 29:47
  Speaker 2: to get back in their homes and get their lives back.
• 29:51
  Speaker 2: find a way to get their lives back on track.
• 29:52
  Speaker 2: And it's a great start for the big kickoff on
• 29:55
  Speaker 2: Wednesday with you guys.
• 29:56
  Speaker 1: So Erin, thank you so much for all that you're doing.
• 29:58
  Speaker 3: Can't wait to see you there.
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: Yes, we'll see you there.
• 30:01
  Speaker 2: And it's going to be a lot of emotions, but
• 30:02
  Speaker 2: a lot of work to get done and a beautiful
• 30:05
  Speaker 2: reason behind it all.
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: So thank you so much for all that you guys
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: are doing. And we'll see you on Wednesday.
• 30:08
  Speaker 3: Thank you, Lisa. Take care.
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: Erin Rank, Habitat for Humanity, Greater Los Angeles. Thank you.
• 30:14
  Speaker 3: Thank you.