Meet Ana Robles

“I haven't lived anywhere else. I got married here, raised my children here, buried my loved ones here. For me, going back home means everything.”

Ana Robles has spent nearly her entire life in Altadena. Her mother raised her there, and in 2006, Ana bought her own home just a few blocks away. A dedicated kindergarten teacher at McKinley School in Pasadena, Ana has lived in the community for 47 years and taught in local schools for 27 years—often guiding multiple generations of local families. She raised three children on West Poppyfield Drive and continues to give back every day in the classroom. “This is where I built my life. This is where I give back.

The night the fire came, Ana stayed up late tracking its path, holding onto hope it would remain high in the hills like it always had before. 

Eventually, she nodded off—until urgent calls from neighbors woke her. “You have to leave now,” they said. She grabbed her dog, her glasses, and a few papers from the hallway table. With no time to think, she drove through smoke and wind, her phone dying shortly after she left. She didn’t stop until she reached East Los Angeles— disoriented, alone, and unsure of what to do next. By the time she returned, her home—and decades of memories—had been reduced to ash.

Today, Ana lives in a small apartment thanks to the kindness of friends and local donors who helped her secure a lease. But balancing that rent alongside her home’s mortgage is pushing her past the breaking point. Each month, she faces nearly $7,000 in housing costs. On top of that, she’s navigating a painful divorce that has blocked access to insurance funds, even though she continued making the payments. 

“I’m surviving because of community support,” she says. “That’s what’s kept me going.”

Still, Ana shows up for her students every day. She says being back in the classroom—with the laughter, energy, and curiosity of young learners—has helped her in the middle of so much loss.

“It helps me stay grounded, being with the kids,” she says. “They need love and structure, and so do I.” Two of her own students also lost their homes in the fire. She understands what they’re carrying—because she’s carrying it too.

Without an ADU on her property, this is what her FUTURE could be:

• Nearly $7,000 a month in rent and mortgage payments she doesn’t have

• Living away from the only neighborhood she’s ever known

• Mounting emotional and mental strain—she’s never rented an apartment before

• No clear path back to the home she’s known for nearly for nearly half a century

With an ADU on her property, this is what her FUTURE could be:

• Live on-site while her home is rebuilt—saving thousands each month

• Regain financial stability and reduce her reliance on donations

• A return to the neighborhood she’s called home for 47 years—finding emotional relief and mental clarity in a space of her own

• Begin a clear, supported path back home after years of giving to generations as a teacher