Help Elle Rebuild After the Eaton Fire

Help Elle Recover After the Eaton Fire in California

Hi I'm Leah, Elle's friend. I was asked to help create a Gofundme for her.

Elle, a hardworking director and cinematographer for film and television, was displaced from her rental home in Altadena after the Eaton Fire in January, which began while she was away visiting family. Thanks to quick help from friends, her dogs and a few personal items made it out safely, but the fire contaminated her home, making it unsafe to live in. She is still displaced six months later, and while remediation is finally scheduled for this month, it remains unclear if she will be able to return to her home of many years, which has been her personal refuge and creative space during the pandemic and industry slowdown.

Since January, Elle has moved from place to place, staying in Woodland Hills, DTLA, Santa Monica, and Highland Park, while commuting as much as 2 hours each way to Altadena to give access to contractors and clean, pack up, and dispose of many personal belongings, including some professional film equipment. In the last two months alone, she has spent nearly 200+ hours in a hazmat suit and respirator in the summer heat fully emptying her home. This physically, costly, time consuming, and emotionally draining process has made it impossible to seek out work in her field, and she was further sidelined with a concussion in April. All of her personal art and film projects have been put on hold.

While Elle has received some help from aid organizations and her union and has been able to borrow some funds from family, most fire relief programs have excluded people whose homes didn’t burn down, and support from FEMA has been limited and slow to arrive. After six months, her personal resources are exhausted, and debt has accrued, which will make it difficult to secure new housing if necessary.

Elle is seeking $20,000 to cover essential expenses while she remains displaced and to help her regain financial and creative stability during this long recovery. Any support, no matter the amount, is deeply appreciated.