Bad Weather Motel Voucher Program Begins in Pasadena

Pasadena’s new program to offer motel stays during bad weather in lieu of a traditional bad weather shelter started operations this week, officials said.

The program was not yet ready to roll out last week, when a rainstorm pounded Southern California on Monday and Tuesday. The city’s primary partner in the endeavor, the nonprofit organization Friends In Deed, was temporarily closed, according to Pasadena Department of Housing Director Bill Huang.

Funding for approximately 300 motel nights was approved by the City Council on Dec. 14. And with the reopening of Friends In Deed on Monday, the city is poised to offer the city’s homeless residents a warm, dry place to sleep when the next storm or cold snap arrives, officials said.

“We are pleased the FID weather-activated motel voucher program is operational. We regret it was not available for the season’s first storm, but it is available now,” Huang said. “We also know some of our homeless neighbors used the county’s weather-activated Alta Loma shelter [in Altadena] during the storm.”

Additionally, more than 30 people identified as “highly vulnerable persons experiencing homelessness” have already been housed in motels through city-funded, longer-term vouchers, Huang said.

Housing officials planned to recommend that the City Council approve additional funds for weather-activated motel vouchers to be distributed by various agencies during its upcoming meeting on Monday, he added. City officials are also working to add additional organizations to the program, along with Friends In Deed.

The process of matching unhoused residents with motels during bad weather is not as simple as handing out vouchers, Friends In Deed Executive Director Rabbi Joshua Grater said.

“Motel vouchers are not a slip of paper that can be used for certain hotels. Our team is looking for vulnerable folks on cold and rainy nights. We find the motels, we transport them, we pay for them, and then the city reimburses us,” he explained. “So it’s not really about vouchers, but rather a motel assistance program.”

Just like the traditional bad weather shelter, the motel program will be initiated when predicted temperatures drop below 40 degrees, or a 40% chance of rain is forecasted, according to city officials.

When the conditions are met, “FID staff will be out in the streets in teams to find the most vulnerable people on the streets. We will hand out rain gear, food, and in cases that meet criteria, motel vouchers,” according to Friends In Deed Outreach Supervisor William Shelby III.

Friends In Deed provides information and bad weather supplies during services at Pasadena Presbyterian Church, 585 E. Colorado Blvd., on Thursday and Sunday nights, he said.

“Friends In Deed will provide food bags for the individuals placed in motels at this time, as well as attempting to connect them to programs which provide permanent housing,” according to Shelby.

“As far as last week’s rainstorm, no one feels worse than we do. We have been sheltering the most vulnerable through bad weather for the last 30-plus years,” he said. “The current pandemic has caused us to question whether being outdoors in bad weather is more dangerous than being in an enclosed area with other people for several hours — people who don’t necessarily adhere to COVID safety protocols,” he said. “It was heart-wrenching to know people we care about were out in that storm.”

At the same time, Shelby said the show of concern from community members over the wellbeing of those without homes was inspiring.

“I have to say I’m encouraged to see how our community has voiced their concerns about our unhoused neighbors,” said. “Realistically, there is no way to just slap together a program to address the problem during this pandemic. COVID has killed people in my family, as well as people in our homeless community.

Outreach personnel continue working to adapt to the pandemic, Shelby said.

“We are looking forward to COVID vaccinations in the near future, and then having the availability and safety of our traditional, congregate shelter in bad weather,” he said.

While temporary shelter during bad weather is important, Grater said it’s important not to lose focus on long-term solutions.

“Our unhoused neighbors never should be in the street, no matter what time of year, and we are part of all the groups advocating for more transitional and permanent supportive housing to be built in our city,” he said.

Huang said the city has made strides in the right direction in recent years.

“We’re making a lot of progress here,” he said. “Back in 2011, we had over 1,200 in our homeless count. Our last one was 527, and we’ve been very aggressive in providing permanent housing solutions because that’s the only thing that ends homelessness. We’ve been really focused on rapid rehousing.”

Friends in Deed to Provide Motel Vouchers, Supplies to Homeless this Winter