1 Stevenson, Garrett
Subject: FW: Written public comment for today's Economic Development and Technology Committee meeting --Agenda Item 2
From: Wendy Wang < >
Sent: Wednesday, June 1, 2022 12:58 PM
To: Stevenson, Garrett <[email protected]>
Subject: Written public comment for today's Economic Development and Technology Committee meeting --Agenda Item 2 ------------------------
To Whom It May Concern,
I wish to submit the following written public comment regarding Agenda Item #2 for today’s Council Economic Development and Technology Committee meeting.
Thank you.
Public Comment:
Dear Chairperson Hampton and members of the Economic Development and Technology Committee,
My name is Wendy Wang, the Chief Public Policy and Advocacy Officer for Sycamores. As a local community- based nonprofit organization, Sycamores is the lead organization for the Yout h Coordinated Entry System in LA
County Service Planning Area 3 (SPA 3), a region that includes Pasadena. Since the modest beginning of our Transition Age Youth (young people ages 16- 25) Housing Division in the early 2000s, Sycamores has been committed to assisting young people who experienced homelessness, some of whom emancipated from the foster care system. By braiding funding streams and philanthropic dollars, Sycamores offers critical mental health treatment, case management, affordable housing option s, educational and vocational services, and other support to these young people. These services are instrumental in helping young people towards greater self-sufficiency and well-being.
I want to thank the Committee for placing tiny homes on the agenda for today’s Committee meeting and for your future consideration of establishing a tiny homes village in the City of Pasadena.
According to the City of Pasadena’s 2022 Homeless Count, 512 of the City’s residents are still unhoused and 280 of these residents have no shelter at all. According to City’s Housing Department, it can take over one year for an unsheltered resident to move from being on the “streets” to permanent housing. During this time, unsheltered residents face very substantial health and safety risks, especially since the threat of COVID-19 has not ended.
Tiny homes provide temporary housing from the time an individual moves from sleeping on the local streets or local parks to permanent housing. Tiny homes provide basic shelter, personal safety, efficient on- site case management services, easy access to toilets, showers, and laundry facilities, three meals a day, and heating and air conditioning.
2 The City of Pasadena has a responsibility to provide basic shelter and services for our unsheltered residents. We recognize that the tiny homes model is temporary and interim housing; however, it represents another important strategy in the local Continuum of Care (CoC). If we are to truly end homelessness, we must invest in strategies along the entire Continuum of Care.
Pasadena can fund the creation of a tiny home village and on- going operations by appropriating funds from the City’s General Fund and by dedicating a portion of the $20 million in American Rescue Plan Act monies granted to Pasadena from the federal government. Additionally, Pasadena can identify and explore deeper partnerships with the state, county, or philanthropic organizations to create tiny homes.
Thank you for your consideration of my comments.
Sincerely,
Wendy Wang
Wendy Wang, MPP (she/her), Chief, Public Policy and Advocacy Officer Mobile:
100 W. Walnut Ave. Suite 375
Pasadena, Ca, 91124
www.sycamores.org
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