Songwriter Mike Stoller and his wife, jazz musician Corky Hale Stoller, are donating to support rebuilding efforts in Altadena, California, nearly a year after the destructive Eaton Fire.
The duo pledged $3 million to support the Black LA Relief & Recovery Fund, according to a Tuesday news release. That fund is a collaboration between the Black Freedom Fund and the California Community Foundation, both nonprofits focused on community development.
Stoller's donation will go toward historically Black neighborhoods in Altadena working to rebuild after the Eaton Fire destroyed some 6,000 residences in the town.
"This isn't just about houses," Stoller, who is known for collaborations with artists including Elvis Presley and Ben E. King, said in a statement. "It's about people — people, for many years denied equal access to real estate in Los Angeles…people who created a community for their families and friends, their churches and businesses."
Indeed, Altadena Heritage — established in the 1980s as a committee of the town council — describes the town as "one of the most integrated communities in Southern California," noting that the town's inception was a result of rising real estate costs elsewhere in the Los Angeles region.
Already, the Stoller donation has "secured two community lots for our novel land banking model, in addition to supporting housing grants to 33 families, opened new housing pathways through a corporate lease, and launched rebuilding support to close the gap left by insurance and FEMA," according to Jasmin Shuppper, CEO of Greenline Housing Foundation, another nonprofit organization involved in the rebuild efforts.
"History shows that if families are forced to leave while they rebuild, the odds of returning drop dramatically," Shupper added. "We're working to change that."