20-05-2025
Man forced to live in tent after losing Altadena home in Eaton Fire gets help from community
A community steps up when a man is forced to live in a tent after the Eaton Fire
A community steps up when a man is forced to live in a tent after the Eaton Fire
A community steps up when a man is forced to live in a tent after the Eaton Fire
An elderly man who lost his home in the Eaton Fire ended up living in a tent on his burned-out property, and his community is making sure he doesn't fall through the cracks.
It was a modest room, but for Gary Van Ostrand, it was his home.
"What's left is hardly recognizable," Van Ostrand said, looking at the rubble left of his home.
After the Eaton Fire destroyed his Altadena home, the 73-year-old lived in the shelter at the Pasadena Convention Center. But after six weeks, he was given a gift card and a tub of his belongings.
"I was told I had to go," he said.
With nowhere to go, he bought a tent and set it up in what used to be his backyard.
"There were coyotes circling around the day. The hungry coyotes, they were displaced like I was," he said.
For two weeks, he was living atop the ashes of his old home, until a passerby posted about his situation.
"This is really sad that this is how he ended up," said Ash Level, a community organizer.
Level works with Altadena Rising, a group of volunteers that connects fire victims to resources. She rushed over to Van Ostrand and they immediately connected through their love of oldies.
She said Van Ostrand's case is one of the most challenging she's seen. He's low-income, elderly, disabled, has no family, and struggles with applying for assistance.
"To be honest, I'm completely inept when it comes to doing digital things," Van Ostrand said.
Level and her team immediately took Van Ostrand to the doctor, helped him with his FEMA paperwork, and found him a hotel for another few weeks. But she said what he really needs is a long-term senior living community.
"Help us find Gary a place with light and art, other elders that want to have fun," she said.
Despite losing everything, the 73-year-old said he still has a dream to start something new, something he loves to do. Something that'll help out seniors just like him.
Van Ostrand calls it "Gary-oke" it's a group singing activity for the elderly, that he hopes will help restore memory.
"I can remember lyrics to songs I didn't even know that I remember," Van Ostrand said. "If that's true, that's a memory exercise that might help me remember what I had for breakfast."
It's an idea Level supports 100%, and she hopes others feel the same.
