Pasadena Housing Director William Huang

Pasadena Housing Director William Huang

 

The federal government has awarded the Pasadena Continuum of Care (CoC) $2.6 million to provide housing and supportive services to homeless individuals and families, Pasadena Director of Housing and Community Services William Huang announced late last week.

The CoC is led by the Pasadena Partnership to End Homelessness (Pasadena Partnership), with the City of Pasadena acting as lead agency.

The award will fund 13 CoC projects that were included in the first tier of homeless assistance projects submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for funding as part of the annual CoC homeless funding competition.  These projects will provide rapid re-housing, permanent supportive housing and coordinated entry to homeless individuals and families in Pasadena.

In October, the Pasadena Housing Department said there was a shortage of 357 Permanent Housing Units (PSH) that the city needs. Over 178 persons have received PSH in the last year, according to Anne Lansing of the Pasadena Housing Department.

These difficulties could ease up with the additional federal funding that the Pasadena CoC applies for every year.

Rapid re-housing allows homeless individuals and families to quickly transition into permanent housing, minimizing unnecessary trauma and dislocation. Permanent supportive housing provides permanent housing to individuals and families with a disability, prioritizing those who are chronically homeless.

Huang listed some of the beneficiary first tier projects in a memo to Interim City Manager Steve Mermell, including Pasadena’s Rapid Rehousing Medium Term plan, and the City’s Rapid Rehousing Short Term program.

Permanent supportive housing projects under tier one include the Euclid Villa project, Holly Street Housing, the Navarro House, and Shelter Plus Care 0506, 08, 09, 10 and 2015.

The new federal funding will also be used for the CoC Coordinated Entry System, the 2015 CoC Planning Project and the Homeless Management Information System for the City.