69 People Sheltered in Pasadena Motels During Recent Rains Under City Program

Pasadena city officials and community organizations teamed up to place 69 unsheltered people in motels during last week’s rainstorms under a new program being offered in lieu of a traditional congregate bad weather shelter in the city this season as a response to the ongoing pandemic, officials said.

With many of those making use of the program staying multiple days, more than 400 motel nights were offered, in all, Pasadena Housing Department Director Bill Huang said.

“Last year, the maximum number of people served on any given night was 55 at the bad weather shelter,” he said.

“Motel rooms are a significant upgrade over a bed or a cot in a gymnasium,” Huang said. “It’s better from a COVID perspective, for sure, which is super important this year.

“And our bad weather shelter, typically, is only a night program,” he added. “With the motels, they are able to stay all day, and in this case because of the weather event, multiple days.”

The motel bad weather shelter program is operated by the Pasadena Public Health Department, the nonprofit organization Friends In Deed and Union Station Homeless Services, officials said.

Additionally, a Los Angeles County bad weather shelter with 47 socially distanced beds has been operating at Loma Alta Park in Altadena during rainy or cold conditions, according to Huang.

More than 40 people used the Altadena shelter during the recent storms, which was a significant increase from previous years, he said.

Friends In Deed Executive Director Rabbi Joshua Grater said the program has been well-received thus far.

“All the agencies are working really hard and we’re doing great collaboration and cooperation,” he said. “And I know that the people who we’ve been able to help are really appreciative and that the program has been a success, to date.”

There are no physical vouchers involved, Grater explained. When Friends In Deed or one of its partner organizations identifies a person in need of shelter, “We pay for them and then we submit invoices and we get reimbursed.”

The motel generally costs about $95 each night, according to Grater.

Friends In Deed also runs a cold-weather supply distribution program on Thursday and Sunday nights at Pasadena Presbyterian Church, he said.

“That’s going very well. We had five or six people that came the other night when it was raining, and we were able to put some folks who asked for a motel into one,” he said.

The City Council approved more than $400,000 in emergency funding for the motel bad weather shelter program in mid-December.

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