The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion by Supervisor Kathryn Barger to provide critical funding for the Pasadena Hope Center, a new permanent supportive housing project that will be developed by The Salvation Army in the City of Pasadena.

The Pasadena Hope Center will feature a modern, four-story building that will provide 65 studio apartments for highly vulnerable single adults who are experiencing homelessness in the region. The first floor will provide space for supportive services on-site, including The Salvation Army’s Pasadena social services offices, which serves low-income individuals and families with a large client choice food pantry and supportive service referrals. The Fifth Supervisorial District, which includes Pasadena, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge and the Crescenta Valley, is allocating $378,000 in Homeless Services Center (HSC) funds to this much-needed effort.

“We know that housing alone does not solve the complex issue of homelessness,” Barger said. “It is essential to include robust supportive programs on-site, such as mental health services and employment support, to provide highly acute individuals with the tools needed to retain their housing long-term.”

On the night of the 2020 homeless count, there were a total of 527 people experiencing homelessness in Pasadena, a significant decline from the peak count in 2011 that identified 1,216 individuals. This 50% reduction in the population of people experiencing homelessness in Pasadena follows a system-wide implementation of Housing First best practices and a strong focus on targeted strategies to increase the availability of permanent housing.

“In partnership with the City of Pasadena, we have made tremendous progress through enhanced prevention, diversion, housing navigation services, street outreach, interim and permanent housing thanks, in large part, to Measure H-funded strategies,” Barger said. “As individuals and families continue to fall newly into homelessness, we must continue to support interventions focused on permanent housing and supportive services to reduce homelessness locally and regionally.”