Journal Entry #28 - More Than A Catalog
TFCF in TIME!
Earlier this month, we were honored to be included in the inaugural TIME Trailblazers: Designing and Making the Future list, presented by Autodesk.
Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for TIME
The Foothill Catalog Foundation began in the days following the Eaton Fire with a simple but urgent question: How could we use design to help families rebuild faster, more affordably, and in a way that preserves the character of the communities they call home?
What started as a response to a local disaster has grown into a broader effort to rethink how high-quality design can become more accessible, not only in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades, but in communities facing housing and recovery challenges beyond Los Angeles.
This recognition represents the work of an extraordinary network of people: our team, philanthropic partners, professionals who donated their time and expertise, public-sector partners willing to rethink established processes, nonprofit and community organizations, builders, and most importantly, the homeowners who have trusted us to be part of their rebuilding process.
We are grateful for all of the support, partnership, and this recognition as we continue this work.
Read more: 2026 TIME Trailblazers
Updates from the Field
The past few weeks have been filled with exciting milestones across the Catalog, including more groundbreakings and another completed home.
At the center of this work are the homeowners who have trusted us to be part of their rebuilding process. A few highlights:
The Lewis, for Grace. Joined by SGV Habitat
The Billy, for Hugo & Dianne. Joined by 5blox
The Alice, for Charles and Annalise.
The Lewis, for Yolanda and her family. We are standing in her new beautiful kitchen!
Spotlight: Our Homeowner Engagement Program
One of the most important parts of our work happens well beyond the bounds of the architecture and design.
Behind every Foothill Catalog project is a homeowner engagement process designed to help families understand their options, navigate decisions, and take the next steps with more clarity and confidence.
305 initial homeowner consultations completed to date
Each consultation is an opportunity to learn a family’s story, understand their needs, and help identify a path forward.
A pre-approved plan can help reduce some of the uncertainty of rebuilding. By starting with a fully developed, pre-approved design, homeowners can save significant time and costs compared with a more traditional design and permitting process.
But we know that rebuilding is about much more than a home design.
After a disaster, homeowners are navigating insurance, displacement, financial decisions, family needs, and countless choices about what comes next. Our Homeowner Engagement team, led by Christine Ferling Burrows works alongside Altadenans and Palisadians throughout this process, helping them understand their options, answering questions, and providing support as they move from their first consultation toward construction.
We believe that high-quality, place-based design should be accessible to everyone. An equitable path to rebuilding requires more than access to a home design; it requires a clear process, trusted guidance, and a support system that helps homeowners navigate the many decisions ahead.
Through our Homeowner Engagement Program, our team serves as that support system, working alongside families from their first questions about rebuilding through the many decisions that follow.
We are grateful to the American Red Cross and the Counselors of Real Estate Foundation for supporting this work specifically and helping make it possible for us to walk alongside more homeowners as they find their path home.
Upcoming Event: Foothill Catalog Demonstration Homes Grand Opening!
Save the date! On Saturday October 24, we’ll celebrate the completion of the Foothill Catalog demonstration homes with a grand opening and community block party.
Over the past several months, The Foothill Catalog Foundation has been working with the Callahan Family Foundation and Williams Rebuild to build four demonstration homes in Altadena.
During construction, we’ve had the opportunity to welcome Altadena residents to the sites for a series of educational gatherings focused on making the rebuilding process easier to understand and navigate.
A couple weeks ago, we welcomed close to 50 community members to the final session of our Live Rebuilding Series, which focused on interior material selections!
As our Catalog continues to grow in ways we could have never imagined, our focus remains the same: creating clearer pathways to rebuilding and supporting homeowners through each step of the process. We’re thankful to everyone who continues to be part of this work, and we look forward to sharing more milestones ahead.
Until Next Time,
The Foothill Catalog