Good news: how together we can end the homeless crisis!

Jill speaking and Mayor Tornek in the back taking notes

Jill and I spoke at the Ahiah Center for Spiritual Living here in Pasadena where Rev Michael Lattimore organized a  Townhall on Homeless Solutions this week. Rev. Michael had been homeless himself and has a beautiful heart for people who are marginalized and living on the street. He invited Rabbi Joshua Grater of Friends Indeed, Shawn Morrissey of Union Station (who was homeless for 17 years), Amara  Ononiwu of Lake Avenue Church, and Jill and myself. 

The most important take away from this Townhall is the need for homeless prevention (providing emergency funds so people in crisis don't get evicted and end up homeless), rapid

Rev Michael Lattimore

rehousing (get people off the street and into shelters so they don't become traumatized), effective case management, permanent supportive housing, and advocacy so that elected officials approve funding for these essential services and housing. There is also a need for education and civic engagement to dispel stereotypes and prejudices and overcome NIMYBism.

You can watch a Facebook live stream of my talk: https://www.facebook.com/jill.shook/videos/10221318175887475/?t=0

Here's what I shared:

I have good news to report. The city of Riverside has had “functional zero” veteran homelessness since 2016. The homeless population of Riverside County has decreased by over 50% in the last 15 years. I am pleased to add that Pasadena’s homeless count has dropped by 54% since 2011, and is continuing to go down.

Pasadena is on track to reduce its homeless count even further. In the past year, our City Council has approved over 130 units of homeless housing: 65 units at the Salvation Army site and 69 senior housing units at Heritage Square South site in Northwest Pasadena. We are currently urging the City Council to approve a proposal that would provide an additional 96 units of affordable family housing and supportive housing in our Civic Center on a vacant lot next to City Hall. Our chronically homeless count could be reduced by as much as 50% in the next three years when these units finally become available.

We know what ends homelessness. Rusty Bailey, the mayor of Riverside, has identified the problem and the solution: He says:  "You can't end homelessness without housing, Becoming homeless is a vicious cycle our neighbors without homes end up in, and the sooner we can take them out of that cycle the better, the sooner we can place them into housing, the better."

Homeless housing doesn’t just happen. There are no laws requiring affordable or homeless housing.  It takes concerned citizens like us to convince city governments to do the right thing and use city-owned land for affordable and homeless housing. It takes advocacy to convince our elected officials to adopt policies that will prevent homelessness. It takes civic engagement and educational work to convince NIMBYs that affordable and homeless housing actually benefits communities where it’s located. Research and experience show that supportive housing takes people off the street and places them in an environment where they can receive the services and support they need to thrive. People need to know the truth. That’s what will set us free to find solutions that work.

The Greater Pasadena Affordable Housing Group has created a very powerful coalition of faith leaders, homeless service providers, concerned citizens, and people who have experienced homelessness who are willing to share their stories about how housing ends homelessness. Our efforts have touched the hearts and minds of our elected officials and have proven extremely effective.

This kind of work isn’t easy. To get approval for homeless housing at Heritage Square South, we had a ten-month campaign. We gathered over 1000 letters and petitions, we met with elected officials, we had as many as 100 people show up at City Council meetings, we held prayer vigils, and some of us even slept overnight on the site to be in solidarity. I can tell you from personal experience it’s no fun to sleep on a sidewalk. But I was lucky. I at least had a mat to sleep on. Two homeless women sleeping nearby weren’t so lucky, so I gave them my mat. I wish I could have given them a place to stay.

I am passionate about this issue because I am friends with many people who have experienced homelessness. In fact, a formerly homeless man has lived in our back house for the past five years and we consider him a close friend. For the last twelve years I’ve tried to help a homeless woman named Melissa to be housed. She’s legally blind and get around in a wheel chair and has to panhandle every day to supplement the $1000 she receives in SSDI—not enough to pay for rent and food. She calls me every day and considers me her “father in Christ.” I’ve done everything I can to get this dear woman housed, but she’s still homeless. I am appalled that women like her, a handicapped woman with a grown up daughter,  has been homeless for nearly two decades.

The Greater Pasadena Affordable Housing Group works with groups like Everyone in and Faith Partnership to End Homelessness to do educational work around homelessness. We’ve participated in town halls like this and we also organized three “Homeless to Housed” bus tours last year. Around 30 people took part in each tour, and visited Marv’s Place—which houses 19 formerly homeless families—and Teague Terrace in Eaglerock, which houses over 60 people with special needs. Teague Terrace not only houses homeless people, it has solar panels and is LEED certified for its green architecture.

Both developments are stellar examples of how permanent supportive housing works. Most were concerned citizens who are now able to advocate effectively since they have seen for themselves that supportive housing works. Some who took part in these tours were people of influence, including mayors and candidates for office who are now pushing for homeless housing in their cities.

If you want to end homelessness in Pasadena, please join us in our advocacy and educational work. Sign a petition, send a letter to our city council, or come to a city council meeting and speak out. Thank our city council for all they have done so far, and urge them to do more.

If you are a person of faith, or a person of conscience, come to our weekly vigils. We meet every Monday that the city council is in session in front of the city-owned YWCA in the Civic Center. This Y is an historic landmark designed by famed architect Julia Morgann that has been vacant for over 20 years. We hold a banner that says, “HOUSE OUR HOMELESS NEIGHBORS AND LOW INCOME FAMILIES AT OUR CIVIC CENTER.” It is inspiring to see homeless people and people like my lawyer friend Sonja hold this banner together.

After our demonstration, we go to the busts of Mack and Jackie Robinson in front of City Hall  for a time of reflection and prayer. This has become the spiritual highpoint of my week. I know that God is listening to our prayers, and answering them. During the public comment period, some of us speak about why we want to see our homeless neighbors housed.

We’d love for you to join our homeless housing team, which meets at lunch time twice a month on the first and fourth Thursdays. Our next meeting will be on March 5 at Centennial Place, which houses over 144 people who were formerly homeless. Our team is exploring various ways that we can house our homeless neighbors, such as motel conversions.

We believe that it is possible to end homelessness. This is a national as well as a local crisis. Ending homelessness has become the goal of our governor Gavin Newsom, and it should be the goal of whoever becomes our next president. We need to hold our local officials accountable for doing everything they can to end homelessness. That means supporting affordable and supportive housing at our Civic Center, and on city-owned land. That means having supportive and affordable housing in every part of our city. The solution to our homeless crisis is us. Together we can make a difference!

For more info contact interfaithquakeer@aol.com