Last March the City of Oakland called upon Building Futures and other service providers to house the victims of the four-alarm fire at 2551 San Pablo Avenue. The fire claimed four lives. Those displaced “were not only homeless but had just experienced this huge trauma,” Thomas says. “If the Family Front Door was not there ready to help, it would have taken much longer to house them.”

“We were starting all over,” explained Family Front Door client and San Pablo Avenue survivor Eliza Anderson (pictured). Despite the devastating loss of their home and possessions, Eliza recalls it was housing specialist Marchon Tatmon’s calm demeanor and adaptability that helped her and her three children through the experience. “He was always calm, every step of the way. It gave me hope.”

This article first appeared in our 2016-17 Annual Report.