Guest Opinion | Rabbi Joshua Grater: Riding the Waves of Change to Help Unsheltered People in Pasadena

A wave is something that can carry everything in its path toward the shore. It is powerful and moves with a force that is impossible to stop. That is why we have the phrase, “let’s ride the wave of change…” When one idea, or person, has movement, then other ideas or people can attach themselves and use their momentum to help a related cause.

We are in a moment of significant waves, a movement that has built to hurricane force, sparked by a trifecta of crises and pain: the pandemic of COVID-19; the economic recession gripping our nation; and the senseless murder of more innocent black people, which exploded with George Floyd. Each one of these is a wave unto itself; but together, we are seeing a moment in our history that has potential to radically shift our way of being on its axis: how we view what is important and essential in our lives; the fragility of an economy based solely on net worth and not human worth; and a criminal justice and policing model with an underlying current of racism and militarism. Time will tell which of these waves will reach the shore with new approaches to how we live. Time will also tell which of these waves will roll back out to sea with nothing to show.

In the world that I focus on, namely homelessness and poverty in Pasadena, I am hoping that we can ride the waves of change to affect the most vulnerable in our community. All three of the crises directly impact the poor and homeless, particularly people of color. How we ride this wave can make all the difference for so many of our neighbors and friends.

It is for this reason that several of my colleagues in the social service world, along with faith communities, are meeting and strategizing the best ways to ensure that meaningful change will take root in regard to homelessness and extreme poverty in our city. We know that we have a homelessness crisis in this city, which is coupled with a housing crisis, which equals an emergency.

In the coming weeks, we hope to have drafts of plans for addressing the most immediate issue: getting people off the streets and into a more safe and secure setting, even if not permanent housing yet. The Project Room Key was a good model, although it is coming to an end in Pasadena and there is no solid plan to permanently house the people currently in the motels. This is unacceptable, and cruel and inhumane for those who have had the blessing of shelter for the past 8-10 weeks.

The plans will need to be bold; the plans will require creative thinking that can’t be shot down with cries of, “not in my neighborhood; we can’t afford it; we need to study it;” and the plans will require political will and bravery that does what is right and not just expedient. We have faith that our community can meet these tasks and make something happen. And not in several months, or several years, but now. We are seeing around the nation that when city governments, and communities, want to get things done, even massive changes, they can make it happen. We hope Pasadena can join their ranks!

We look forward to unveiling a few different models in the coming days, and pray that we find common ground, and bold partners to help bring them into reality.

The waves are growing stronger and now is the time to ride them to as much positive change and improvement in our community as possible. Together we can!

Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater is the Executive Director of Friends In Deed.