As a pediatric pulmonary specialist, she also was familiar with children living in unhealthful conditions — in garages, for example — when their parents couldn’t afford more.
So Margetis faithfully donated to Union Station Homeless Services on a regular basis, believing in its mission to help adults and families facing hunger, homelessness and poverty in the community. But when she read that the nonprofit organization was looking for volunteers to help mentor recently housed homeless individuals, she felt something call out to her.
OUTLOOK photo Union Station Homeless Services’ Community Allies program matches neighbors with companions who were formerly homeless, many of whom become dear friends, like Dr. Monique Margetis (left) and Verlinda Bee. Like a lot of concerned Pasadenans, longtime resident Dr. Monique Margetis was alarmed by what seemed to be the growing number of homeless men and women she saw on the streets, under overpasses, crowding the parks.
“For me, it was kind of putting my money and time where my mouth was,” said Margetis, who’d just retired from full-time work at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and felt she might have time to volunteer. “I’ve long been worried about people who are homeless; I talk about the situation all the time. Living in this city, you can’t walk around here and not see all these faces — it’s just heartbreaking. And, well, here was something I could actually do, something where I could really make a difference.”
Margetis joined a small contingent of Pasadena neighbors who are partnering with the Union Station Homeless Services Community Allies program, a new way for volunteers to engage with the homeless and provide support and kinship through one-on-one relationships. The mission is to help empower those who’ve been homeless to combat feelings of isolation while they achieve self-sufficiency, housing stability and overall wellness.
In short, Margetis offered her time to get to know someone, and that someone turned out to be Verlinda Bee, whom Margetis describes as sweet-tempered and generous. The two hit it off right away and are now celebrating more than a year of friendship.
Union Station CEO Anne Miskey said that the Community Allies program is working to keep formerly homeless individuals permanently housed, and fits into the bigger picture of fighting homelessness on multiple levels. As complex as the reasons are for becoming homeless — whether it’s the loss of a job, lack of affordable housing, mental illness, substance abuse, domestic abuse, cyclical poverty or a combination of all of the above — the methods of helping must be equally matched, she noted.
And Union Station, combined with the city and other area nonprofits, has shown that the groups’ efforts and methods are working: Pasadena homelessness was down 20%, to about 300 individuals, in 2019 from the previous year, and down about 56% from 10 years ago. That compares to the Greater Los Angles Homeless Count results in 2019, which found that more than 58,900 people were living without permanent shelter on any given night throughout L.A. County, up 12% compared with the previous year, according to the L.A. Homeless Services Authority.
Miskey said that although Union Station has made headway by treating individuals on a one-by-one basis, its leaders have found that they need to better engage the community in their mission.
Photo by Staci Moraza / OUTLOOK Masters of Taste co-chairs Rob Levy and Maxine Harris were joined by Union Station Homeless Services CEO Anne Miskey and board chair Jim Moore at the organization’s fundraiser at the Rose Bowl last spring.
“We have found that we need to better engage with the people in our community, help them understand what are the myths and realities regarding homelessness and how we can recruit community members to help resolve this and the systemic processes that are failing our communities,” she said. “If we are going to resolve homelessness — and we believe we can — we need to bring the community along with us to achieve it.”
The Community Allies program represents a method that is tried and true, she noted. It helps those who’ve experienced homelessness develop healthy relationships, a healthy social network and sense of belonging in the community. But it also helps those who volunteer to expand their experiences, meet new people and grow as human beings.
“Homelessness is a very isolating condition; people coming out of it have been disconnected from society for a long time, and the experience and trauma that comes with it is very difficult to overcome. The goal of our ‘friends and allies’ program is to break down that isolation and make a connection with another human being,” Miskey said. “This really further extends what we can do and how we can walk with our clients on this journey to fulfill hopes and dreams and connect with those in the community.”
Margetis and Bee have become one of 60 successfully paired couples in the program. The two have grown their friendship, with Margetis helping to remind Bee of her appointments, offering her rides and companionship to get there when she can. The two like to take walks in the mall and window shop or, when the weather is nice, stroll in the parks. They enjoy lunching together at a favorite, old-fashioned diner, where they’re called “Sweetie” and “Baby.”
Meeting up to discuss their journey together, Margetis recalled how apprehensive she was initially, saying, “I was very nervous she might not like me … this was very outside of my comfort zone.”
Bee laughed in agreement, adding, “I was afraid I wouldn’t get along with her.”
Before getting into permanent supportive housing through Union Station, Bee was homeless and lived out of her car for more than a year, sleeping in parking lots or anywhere authorities wouldn’t ticket her. It’s hard for Bee to retrace the steps that led to that point, exactly, but she recounted that several years earlier, her mother — whom she’d cared for and lived with — had passed away, and her remaining family sold the house, leaving her nowhere to go. Reeling with grief and struggling for sobriety, Bee did the best she could, living out of her car and bathing at a shelter. But she’d gotten used to people not looking at her, or merely looking to judge her. Estranged from her family, she felt alone for a long time.
So when, finally, Bee completed the steps to achieving sobriety and finally received the keys to an apartment through Union Station, she was nervous. Her one-bedroom apartment often still feels too quiet. Its location in Pomona is new to her, too. Getting to know Margetis has been a bright spot in her world, she said.
“When I first saw Monique, I didn’t think we would match, but we did. I really enjoy her — she’s been good to me. She helps me make sure I get my appointments done; she looks out for me, and I appreciate that,” said Bee, adding that Margetis helped her to study to regain her driver’s license after it was suspended because of unpaid parking tickets, many incurred while she tried to live out of her car. (“That’s one of the ways they criminalize homelessness,” added Emily Fredrickson, Union Station program manager.)
Fredrickson acknowledged, laughingly, she’s become the Community Allies matchmaker, and has now overseen the dozens of other successfully paired couples in the program. The nonprofit organizes monthly get-togethers at the Union Station Family Center, including bingo, barbecues, movie or game nights and field trips to Sparks games.
“Having supportive relationships is so important in everyone’s lives … as adults it can be really difficult to meet people in your community, especially in a giant, sprawling place like L.A.,” Fredrickson said. “For people who have been through difficult situations and are trying to change and move forward, especially for those who never really had healthy relationships before, this is doubly difficult. So we are helping them make a human connection and create companionship and friendship.”
As for Margetis and Bee, she said, “All we did was kind of put them together, and it’s been really beautiful to watch that relationship bloom and grow.”
Margetis, who glanced at her friend and said she gets more out of the friendship than Bee (who laughed at that), teared up a bit when describing what she’s learned from the relationship. The two women patted each other’s hands affectionately.
“What I’ve learned from Verlinda … even after everything she has been through, she has retained such a gentle, kind spirit. Verlinda doesn’t have a bitter, mean bone in her body, and it’s so apparent, she just shines,” Margetis said. “Working with her has put such a face on homelessness for me … her persistence and her positive attitude in the face of major setbacks in life and hardships and medical problems. … I mean, she is such a wonderful example of ‘You can do it.’ It’s been a real privilege to be with her and try to be a positive spot in her life.”
Miskey added that anyone interested in helping to make a difference in Pasadena should check out the Community Allies program.
“This is a great opportunity to have a profound effect on the life of a neighbor who was formerly homeless and is now a member of our community. As an agency we walk alongside the volunteer and their companion, making sure it’s a positive experience for everyone involved. At the end of the day, you come away knowing you’ve made a tremendous difference, and as a volunteer, you will gain more than you ever could have imagined from this new friendship.”
To learn more about volunteer opportunities at Union Station Homeless Services or its Community Allies program, visit unionstationhs.org and click on the “Volunteer” link.
SACRAMENTO – A broad coalition of support from statewide and local organizations are asking the Governor to sign AB 1197, following the legislature’s near-unanimous support of the bill last week. The measure, authored by California State Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) and principal coauthored by Senate Majority Leader Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys), would speed the construction of housing for homeless families and individuals in Los Angeles.
The urgent need to build both temporary and permanent housing to move those suffering from homelessness off the streets only grows with each passing day. Due to the extreme homelessness crisis facing the City of LA, a growing number of groups are leaning in to fight for solutions that will cut through existing hurdles to building more temporary and permanent housing. Nonprofits, business groups, as well as housing and homelessness advocates are leading the call for Governor Newsom to sign this measure.
“As long as Californians are struggling to survive in our streets, we have a moral responsibility to do everything in our power to provide the shelter and assistance they need to get back on their feet,” Santiago said. “I am proud of the strong support we have received throughout this process. Ittakes a villageto alleviate this nightmarish crisis as quickly as possible.”
Senate Majority Leader Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) added, “We made this bill an urgency matter because the homeless crisis is urgent. Both houses of the Legislature overwhelmingly adopted these changes to break down barriers and get people into shelter, and the coalition of support has only grown.”
“We thank Assemblymember Santiago for his leadership working to expedite supportive housing. To make true progress, Los Angeles’ homeless crisis should be treated with the same urgency and dedication of resources we’ve harnessed to address other regional crisis. We urge the Governor to sign this critical measure, knocking down key barriers and allowing local governments to immediately build the necessary housing to alleviate our homelessness crisis.” – Mary Leslie, President, Los Angeles Business Council
“AB 1197 will go far to help the City of Los Angeles expeditiously develop emergency housing and move those suffering from homelessness off the streets and into safe and decent housing and we urge the Governor to sign this important measure.” – Debra Carlton, Senior Vice President Public Affairs, California Apartment Association
“We are proud to lend our support to AB 1197, a bill that will help facilitate the development of what we urgently need to solve Los Angeles’ homelessness crisis: more units of permanent supportive housing. Ultimately AB 1197 will help us achieve our shared goals of getting people, families and communities off the streets and into homes.” – Joel John Roberts, CEO, PATH
“With Governor Newsom’s signature, AB 1197 will untie Los Angeles’ hands to better address our crisis. This law is a key missing ingredient to help prioritize the shelter and supportive housing that will strengthen our communities and give hope to thousands of Angelenos.” – Doug Smith, Supervising Staff Attorney, Public Counsel
“Los Angeles voters committed to solving our homeless crisis when they overwhelmingly stepped up three years ago to fund the construction of permanent supportive housing. We owe it to everyone to make the best use of those funds to treat this as the emergency it is and house those experiencing homelessness as soon as possible.” – Maria S. Salinas, President & CEO, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
“Homes end homelessness. Short-term and supportive housing is critical if we’re going to bring more people indoors, and AB 1197 will expedite our ability to create much-needed homes. We need to eliminate the barriers, streamline the process, and keep building.” – Daniel Huynh, Vice President of Real Estate, LA Family Housing
“It is urgent that Governor Newsom sign AB 1197 to help speed up the construction of emergency shelters and supportive housing in the City of Los Angeles while ensuring high quality labor and environmental protections remain in place. Union Station Homeless Services stands in strong support of the goals of the CEQA and believe this bill strikes the right balance to help us address our homeless crisis.” – Anne Miskey, CEO, Union Station Homeless Services
“Assemblymember Santiago’s bill will expedite the delivery of supportive housing and emergency shelters, and quickly help our homeless neighbors find stable housing. We are facing a homeless humanitarian crisis, and we need policies that will significantly speed up the entitlement process and construction which will ultimately get people housed faster.” – Jessica Lall, President & CEO, Central City Association
“Like so many cities in California, Los Angeles is in the midst of a crushing housing affordability crisis. The City has responded by approving significant new funding for affordable housing, but this bill is needed to ensure critical housing can be built quickly to help Los Angeles address its homelessness challenges.” – Ray Pearl, Executive Director, California Housing Consortium
“The California Community Foundation has supported Measure HHH to build homes for our neighbors on the street, and we share the frustration of voters, residents and community leaders about production delays. AB 1197 will help the 120 developments in the Measure HHH pipeline build over 8,600 units more quickly so we can move people from street to home. We urge the Governor to support Los Angeles’ work to remove barriers to housing the most vulnerable in our community.” – Ann Sewill, Vice President, Health and Housing, California Community Foundation
Governor Newsom is expected to take action on the bill – with either his signature or his veto – by October 13, 2019.
Assemblymember Miguel Santiago is the Chair of the Assembly’s Communications and Conveyance Committee, and a member of both the Assembly Public Safety Committee and the California Latino Legislative Caucus. He represents the 53rd District composed of the cities of Los Angeles, Huntington Park, and Vernon.
With over 15 years of financial non-profit experience, David Cusack joins Union Station Homeless Service as CFO to help guide the organization
Pasadena, CA – Union Station Homeless Services announced today that David Cusack has been named Chief Financial Officer at Union Station Homeless Services. Cusack will be joining the organization’s Executive Leadership Team and will report directly to the CEO Anne Miskey.
Prior to joining Union Station Homeless Services, Cusack served as the CFO of Family Service Association in Riverside, a nonprofit community-based social service organization whose services included childcare, senior nutrition, residential, child abuse and neglect prevention and behavioral health for lower income communities in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.
For over 15 years, Cusack has served in a financial leadership role with multiple non-profit social services organizations and brings with him extensive experience in strategic planning, infrastructure building, budgeting, and government contracting.
“David Cusack has deep non-profit financial expertise to help guide us as we expand our mission into the greater San Gabriel Valley,” states Anne Miskey, CEO. “With David’s joining, we have now rounded out our Executive Leadership Team and are making major strides to end homelessness and rebuild lives.”
Cusack has volunteered in a variety of activities including refugee resettlement, coaching in Special Olympics and serving on the Board of Directors for a nonprofit organization providing residential care and rehabilitation for intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals.
Cusack earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Missouri Southern State University and later attended the University of Missouri in Kansas City to strengthen his accounting knowledge through a Master of Science program.
Richard Dong (L) and Eric Dong present Victoria Purnell with one of the 21 scholarships granted by The Richard and Eric Dong Endowment Fund as part of an ongoing endowment to Union Station Homeless Services Family Center
The Richard and Eric Dong Endowment Fund Awards First Ever Scholarships to Young Residents at Union Station Homeless Services
21 scholarships granted by The Richard and Eric Dong Endowment Fund as part of an ongoing endowment to Union Station Homeless Services Family Center, a shelter for families offering a nurturing home-like environment
The scholarships were established by two teens who funded the endowment from money that they have earned from their own successful business investments to help kids who are experiencing homelessness to promote hope and dreaming big
Pasadena, CA August 19, 2019 –At its first ever scholarship ceremony, The Richard and Eric Dong Endowment Fund awarded 21 scholarships to young residents at the Family Center at Union Station Homeless Services. On hand to celebrate the 11 awards for $250 and 10 awards for $150 were Congresswoman Judy Chu and Anne Miskey, CEO of Union Station Homeless Services.
“Victoria has been ice skating since she was 3 years old. She is going to use her scholarship funds to take figure skating lessons and achieve her dream of learning how to do jumps,” says Jessica Purnell, mother of one of the scholarship winners for sports.
Based on essay submissions, The Richard and Eric Dong Endowment Fund awarded ten Sports scholarships to help in purchasing equipment and lessons, five Academic scholarships to fund books and supplies, five Arts and Music scholarships to further lessons in dance and music and one Humans Rights Scholarship to help advance a just and peaceful world.
“Richard and Eric Dong are two young men who are an inspiration for all,” says Anne Miskey, CEO of Union Station Homeless Services. “With their generous support of these scholarships, they are helping our young residents achieve their dreams and showing how community support makes such a difference in the lives of the families at Union Station Homeless Services.”
Although still teenagers, Richard and Eric have funded the endowment from money that they have earned from their own successful business investments. In addition to creating the endowment and scholarship fund, Richard and Eric are volunteers at the Family Center at Union Station Homeless Services, providing piano lessons and math tutoring to the residents throughout the year.
“Since my brother and I have been volunteering at Union Station Homeless Services, we have been inspired by how hard the children are working to achieve their dreams. But for many there are financial barriers,” said Eric Dong. “Richard and I were extremely touched by what the children wrote on their applications and we wanted to support as many as possible.”
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Richard Dong, Anne Miskey CEO of Union Station Homeless Services, Congresswoman Judy Chu, Eric Dong (left to right) at the first ever scholarship ceremony of The Richard and Eric Dong Endowment Fund as part of an ongoing endowment to Union Station Homeless Services Family Center.
Pasadena, CA – Union Station Homeless Services announced today that it has been awarded a generous $15,000 economic mobility grant from Bank of America. Funds from the grant will support Union Station Homeless Services’ mission of ending homelessness and rebuilding lives in Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley.
The grant was part of $2.4 million in grants made by Bank of America to 84 Los Angeles nonprofits that will advance economic mobility for individuals and families and put them on a path toward financial stability. The local nonprofits receiving funding will help address two key factors improving financial stability: basic needs such as access to food, shelter and health services and access to educational and workforce development services that either give young adults pathways to employment or provide additional opportunities for people to rebuild their careers for better-paying work.
“So many of us are just one life event away from needing to depend on basic needs services such as food banks or shelters, while others – especially from economically disadvantaged areas – remain under-employed lacking the evolving job skills necessary to be part of today’s booming workforce economy,” said Raul A. Anaya, market president for Greater Los Angeles, Bank of America. “But through strategic philanthropic investments into Union Station Homeless Services and the Southland’s incredible nonprofit network, Bank of America is deploying its capital to advance more economic opportunities in the region.”
Award recognizes combined efforts of 23 nonprofits for their work in alleviating L.A. County’s housing crisis.
Los Angeles, CA — June 21, 2019
Union Station Homeless Services was honored with a Community Impact Award from the Los Angeles Business Council (LABC) today for its efforts to address the escalating homelessness and housing crisis in Los Angeles County. The award was presented to Union Station as part of the LABC’s 49th Annual Los Angeles Architectural Awards.
Due to the region’s current housing crisis, the LABC’s Community Impact Award did not go to an individual organization, but rather a collective of 23 nonprofit groups leading the way in providing shelter to those most vulnerable in our community. Each year, the award honors a project or body of work that exemplifies transformative civic development within the City of Los Angeles. With this year’s award, recipients were recognized for their leadership in building and financing new housing, as well as providing related services, for low-income and homeless individuals in L.A. County.
Due in part to the tireless work of these nonprofit groups, 21,613 people were placed in homes last year.
“This year we wanted the Community Impact Award to reflect the depth and complexity of L.A.’s homelessness crisis,” said Mary Leslie, President of LABC. “No single organization will be able to fix this problem alone. It will take years of hard work by a wide range of committed groups to change the lives of the thousands of homeless or currently at risk Angelenos.”
Union Station received the award for its work in ending homelessness and helping adults and families experiencing homelessness to rebuild their lives. With over 45 years of experience, Union Station proudly offers a full continuum of programs throughout the San Gabriel Valley; services including street outreach, intake assessments, care coordination and navigation, meals, shelter, housing, and employment development.
“We are honored to receive this award alongside these partner organizations. It’s not possible for us to stand alone in this battle to end homelessness,” said Anne Miskey, CEO of Union Station Homeless Services in Pasadena. “Homelessness is an issue that impacts every community differently, which is why we’ve been focusing efforts on building capacity at the city level as well as partnering with housing developers, architects and community partners to support people experiencing homelessness in their city by ensuring services and resources are accessible, targeted to the community need, and coordinated with larger regional efforts. There’s still a lot of work to do, and thankfully we have amazing partners and community supporters who are with us every step of the way.”
This year, the LABC’s Architectural Awards honored the best in architecture and design with projects running the gamut from urban micro-living units to beachfront hotels. Winning projects reimagined public spaces, both old and new, to foster community and engender civic pride. This year’s grand prize winner, the groundbreaking LAFC Banc of California Stadium in Exposition Park, was built entirely around the fan experience, with team executives soliciting ideas directly from soccer fans as part of the design process. Google’s Spruce Goose project took home the esteemed LABC Chairman’s award for its dynamic, utterly unique adaptive reuse of the old airplane hangar in Playa Vista.
Representatives from Union Station, along with leading architects, city officials and business leaders, attended the awards ceremony at the Beverly Hilton. The keynote was delivered by OMA partner Shohei Shigematsu, who is making his mark on Los Angeles with the new Audrey Irmas Pavilion and the The Plaza at Santa Monica.
A full list of honorees and Community Impact Award winners is attached. For pictures of the winning projects, please visit the Los Angeles Business Council website at www.labusinesscouncil.org.
OUTLOOK photo
As for Margetis and Bee, she said, “All we did was kind of put them together, and it’s been really beautiful to watch that relationship bloom and grow.”
“It is urgent that Governor Newsom sign AB 1197 to help speed up the construction of emergency shelters and supportive housing in the City of Los Angeles while ensuring high quality labor and environmental protections remain in place. Union Station Homeless Services stands in strong support of the goals of the CEQA and believe this bill strikes the right balance to help us address our homeless crisis.” – Anne Miskey, CEO, Union Station Homeless Services
Pasadena, CA – Union Station Homeless Services announced today that David Cusack has been named Chief Financial Officer at Union Station Homeless Services. Cusack will be joining the organization’s Executive Leadership Team and will report directly to the CEO Anne Miskey.
