Salvation Army’s Soon-to-Open Hope Center Will “Change Lives”

The Salvation Army’s $32 million Diane and John Mullin Hope Center on Walnut Street is opening its doors Thursday, October 12. The four story, 52,000 square foot building will provide permanent housing to chronically homeless individuals in the city.

Pasadena Housing Director Bill Huang said the facility is the fourth permanent supportive housing in Pasadena.

“When somebody is homeless, the only thing that ends their homelessness is a permanent home,” said Huang. “We’re literally ending homelessness for the residents that will live there.” 

A total of 65 homeless people will move into the facility, according to Huang. The tenant selection was done by the Salvation Army with the assistance of the housing department.

According to Huang, chosen tenants are local residents with extremely low income.

Onsite services will be provided at the Hope Center to address the needs that they may have while living at the facility. 

“We expect that the individuals that live there will be able to receive the services that they need, that their lives could be stabilized and secured, and that they would remain in this housing for a long period of time, that people would not be failing out of that housing, but would be successful there.” 

Huang noted Salvation Army’s Hope Center is a very important project for the city that is facing a homelessness crisis.

A total of 556 people are experiencing homelessness in Pasadena, a 9 percent increase from last year, according to this year’s point in time count.

Aside from Salvation Army’s supportive housing, there are other projects in the pipeline that will help address homelessness in the city. 

“We have one more that is under construction that should be finishing around March of next year, and that will be 69 units for chronically homeless seniors,” said Huang. “Getting folks ending homelessness is really our end goal.”

Huang expressed hopes the Salvation Army’s permanent supportive housing will encourage other faith-based organizations to develop affordable housing in Pasadena to help address homelessness crisis in the city.

“We need more of this kind of solution. We still need other solutions, interim solutions, and short-term solutions. We need those as well. But this is the kind of intervention that really ends a person’s homelessness, even when they are chronically homeless.”

Hope Center’s grand opening will be marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:30 a.m. at its location at 1000 E. Walnut Street. 

Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo and Los Angeles County’s 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger are among the notable people attending the event. 

For more information about the grand opening and ways to support the Diane and John Mullin Hope Center, visit www.pasadenahopecenter.com.