Commission, University Present Mixed Bag of Conclusions in “Status of Pasadena Women” Report
Posted By : JAMES MACPHERSON
Posted On : 7:19 am | March 5, 2015
A city commission Wednesday released a Mount St. Mary’s University report on the status of women in Pasadena showing, among other facts, that women’s earnings in Pasadena when compared to men’s are significantly higher than the national average.
Highlights from the report, which was produced by Pasadena’s Commission on the Status of Women in partnership with the University, were presented by report collaborator Dr. Eleanor Dantzler Siebert at a morning reception at the Pasadena Public Library’s main branch auditorium.
After the highlights panelists from Peace Over Violence, the Pasadena Police Department, Union Station Homeless Services, the California Department of Veteran Affairs and the U.S. Department of Labor were led in a discussion of the report’s findings by Lena Kennedy.
That reception filled the room almost to capacity with a crowd of about 125. Many government and civic leaders, activists and two mayoral candidates were in the audience.
“Our hope is that this report will spark conversations like you’re having today and inspire action in your community,” Dr. Siebert said.
Dr. Siebert said that University researchers were directed to five areas of exploration by the Commission: “The first was employment and learnings, the second was housing and homelessness, the third [was] women veterans, fourth, domestic violence, and human trafficking was the final section.”
Key findings:
• Pasadena has a total population of 140,000, half of them are women.
• In Pasadena, women earn 91 cents for every dollar that men earn, for a ratio of 0.91. In the rest of California, that ratio is 0.84 and in the United States overall women earn 79 cents on average for every dollar earned by men.
• In Pasadena, researchers identified four occupational clusters where women earn as much as and even slightly more than men.
• In terms of housing, 30 percent of Pasadena housing units are headed by women, 11 percent by single mothers and 19 percent are women living alone. It’s worth noting that of the single mothers, 42 percent have children under the age of 18 years. And of the women who live alone, 38 percent are over the age of 65.
• The most recent homeless count used at the time the report was prepared showed 650 homeless people in Pasadena, roughly one half of one percent of the city’s population. There were approximately 200 homeless women. The reports shows that two-thirds of the homeless women are in in shelters.
• Pasadena has about 5,000 veterans and these include more than 400 women, the report concludes. Pasadena’s women veterans are predominantly African-American. 30 percent of women veterans are African-American compared to 10 percent of the non-veteran women in Pasadena. Six women veterans were listed among the city’s homeless, the report says.
• The reports says that the Pasadena Police Department receives over 700 calls for assistance in domestic violence situations each year. This number has been trending downwards since 2010. 84 percent of the reported victims are female and the median age of the victims is 32 years. Latinas and African-Americans are disproportionately represented among the domestic violence victims.
• The reports says that because California has major international value, a high immigrant population and a large economy, it is one of the nation’s top destinations for trafficked persons. In California, 47 percent of documented victims are exploited for sex and 49 percent for labor.
Pasadena’s Commission on the Status of Women includes nine women appointed by the Pasadena City Council. During the past 30 years, the Commission has provided pertinent information regarding issues affecting women and has made recommendations on local programs and legislation to promote and ensure equal rights and opportunities for Pasadena girls and women.
Twenty-three local charities were the beneficiaries this year when the Pasadena-Foothills Assn. of Realtors Charitable Foundation distributed $94,000 in donations. Representatives from each nonprofit gathered with foundation committee members last month at the home of 2014 Chair Kirk Dilbeck to receive their checks.
“There are simply no words to say how much this means to us,” stated Grandview Foundation, Inc. Executive Director Lindy Carll. “Thanks to the generosity of PFAR Charitable Foundation, we can continue helping individuals affected by drug and alcohol addiction return as productive members of society.”
Dilbeck praised the recipient organizations, saying, “The true heroes are the charities we support. The people who work there, their lives aren’t about special events. They live, work and breathe helping others all year long. The kudos should go to them, not us.”
In addition to Grandview Foundation, other groups receiving the PFAR gifts included the AIDS Service Center, CAPS for Seniors, Casa de las Amigas, Convalescent Aid Society, Door of Hope, Elizabeth House, Five Acres, Foothill Unity Center, Harambee Family Center, Hillsides, Institute for the Redesign of Learning/Almansor Center, Journey House, Move a Child Higher (MACH 1), Neighborhood Urban Family Center, Pasadena Senior Center, Professional Child Development Associates, Project Cuddle, Sunland Food Pantry, Tierra del Sol, Union Station Homeless Services, Villa Esperanza Services, and Young and Healthy.
The public is invited to join Pasadena’s Commission on the Status of Women for the release of its 2015 “Status of Women” report at a free reception and panel discussion from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 4, at the Pasadena Central Library, Donald R. Wright Auditorium, 285 E. Walnut St.
Panelists discussing the report findings include representatives from Peace Over Violence, the Pasadena Police Department, Union Station Homeless Services, the California Department of Veteran Affairs (CAL VET) and the U.S. Department of Labor. For event information and to RSVP, call the Human Services and Recreation Department at (626) 744-4386.
The 2015 report will be released in time for Women’s History Month to raise awareness about women’s needs and challenges. Copies of the report will be available at the event while supplies last. The report will be posted online starting March 4. Look for the link on the City’s website at www.cityofpasadena.net/HumanServices.
The report highlights four key areas and challenges that Pasadena women face, including:
• Employment and Earnings – The annual gender earnings gap is $0.91 for women ages 16 and older who work full-time. When including the salaries of part-time workers, the annual gender earnings gap is significantly larger at $0.79.
• Housing and Homelessness – Thirty percent of households are headed by women with no spouse present; women constitute 35 percent of the homeless population; and women constitute 23 percent of the unsheltered homeless adult population.
• Women Veterans – Women make up only 8 percent of the veteran population but constitute 12 percent of the homeless veteran population.
• Domestic Violence – Women are victims in 84 percent of the domestic violence cases filed.
The report also includes Los Angeles County statistics on human trafficking, with California reporting 16 percent of human trafficking cases between 2008 and 2012, the highest in the nation, and the county reporting 1,300 trafficking victims between 2010 and 2012.
The annual report was produced by Pasadena’s Commission on the Status of Women in partnership with Mount St. Mary’s University. The Commission includes nine women appointed by the Pasadena City Council. During the past 30 years, the Commission has provided pertinent information regarding issues affecting women and has made recommendations on local programs and legislation to promote and ensure equal rights and opportunities for Pasadena girls and women.
Event sponsors include Assemblymember Chris Holden, the Pasadena Police Department, Union Station Homeless Services, Peace Over Violence, CAL VET, Pasadena City College, YWCA Pasadena-Foothill Valley, All Saints Church, American Association of University Women, National Women’s Political Caucus, Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley, Women At Work, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (Eta Lambda Omega Chapter), League of Women Voters, Pasadena, and the Junior League of Pasadena.
PASADENA, CA – On a single night in January, approximately 80 volunteers and Union Station Homeless Services’ staff gathered for the scheduled Pasadena Homeless Count. Together, they facilitated the census by combing the streets of Pasadena to document the local homeless population. Not only did they count the number of individuals living on the streets, but also those who are sheltered in transitional housing and emergency shelters.
As in past years Union Station Homeless Services’ staff participated in the annual count for the City of Pasadena to gain a more in-depth account of the current condition of the City. They set out early in the morning to collect demographic and background information to gain a better understanding of who is living on the streets and why.
Staff from Union Station Homeless Services – including Ryan Izell, Director of Adult Services, and Sieglinde von Deffner, Coordinator for the San Gabriel Valley’s new Coordinated Entry System (CES) – joined Anne Lansing from The Pasadena Housing Department, representatives from New Directions for Veterans, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and local community advocates to conduct the count.
(From left to right): Anne Lansing (Pasadena Housing Department), Janet Tongtip (Department of Veterans Affairs), Sieglinde von Deffner (Coordinated Entry System), Emily Seagrave (New Directions for Veterans), Ryan Izell and Logan Siler of Union Station Homeless Services, and Hillary Evans (New Directions for Veterans)
In small groups, they fanned out across Pasadena to count those who reside in places not meant for human habitation. Our staff members’ extensive training and previous work with those experiencing homelessness enabled them to find people in places not searched regularly by other volunteers. They were also assisted by a formerly homeless individual, now a peer advocate who took volunteers into East Pasadena to connect with hard-to-find individuals who may otherwise not have been counted.
“We were able to debunk a lot of myths and stereotypes regarding the homeless in Pasadena,” remarks von Deffner. The group found that the upper and lower Arroyo areas, commonly thought to have a higher homeless population, had a low occurrence of individuals living outdoors or on the streets. Since 2005, Pasadena has set in motion a 10-year plan to end homelessness in the City. The results from the 2015 count will be an assessment of how effectively the plan has worked.
Although previous results from the Pasadena Homeless Count show a steady decrease in the City’s homeless population from 2011 to 2014, changes in demographics – such as location of homeless communities – can provide useful information in securing much needed services to underserved areas.
By searching parks and other zones outside of residential areas and shelters, Union Station’s teams did more than just gather important data; they also provided immediate support and vital resources to the individuals they encountered.
“We found a group living in an abandoned home,” von Deffner recalls. “Our team linked them with resources for those experiencing long-term homelessness.” Among that group was a veteran who is now working with New Directions to find permanent housing. Union Station’s CES team has also begun to follow up with many of the individuals encountered during the count.
To learn more about the programs and services provided by Union Station Homeless Services, visit www.unionstationhs.org.
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Union Station Homeless Services, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is committed to helping homeless men, women and children rebuild their lives. Union Station Homeless Services is part of a premier group of human services agencies in Los Angeles County that are leading the way to ending homelessness in our community. We are the San Gabriel Valley’s largest social service agency assisting homeless and very low-income adults and families. We believe every person deserves a life of dignity and a safe place to call home. With 41 years of experience, we proudly offer a full continuum of eight programs in seven locations; services include street outreach, intake/assessment, care coordination and navigation, meals, shelter, housing, employment development, benefits enrollment, and referrals to medical and mental health services.
