Hello friends for Affordable Housing in Arcadia,
Summer is usually a time of taking a break, relaxing, and recharging for future efforts. This July, it was time for a lot of meetings, efforts, learning, visitations, reading, and a meeting with city officials. August was preparing for future steps.
Here’s a quick summary:
- Our name: CHOA – Creative Housing Options in Arcadia
- Housing Element working group
- Short-term Service working group
- Spotlight: Healing Arcadia
- Upcoming
- Next general meeting: Tuesday, September 27th
- Large community gathering: Saturday, November 5th
Our name – CHOA – Creative Housing Options in Arcadia:
We had many names to choose from. We thought CHOA was catchy, and also had a short, and to the point. We did have some regrets that this name did not capture the sense that we are faith-based. However, the word “Creative” does reference hints our Creator-God. Look for a new web site. If you can think of a logo that goes will with the name, and effort, let us know.
Housing Element working group:
This group – now 4 folks – had 3 learning meetings, with Allison Henry at LA Forward, Jill Shook with Making Housing and Community Happen, and Jamie Del Rio with Abundant Housing LA. With that input, we talked with Lisa Flores, Arcadia’s Planning Development Administrator, asking her questions and offering some suggestions for how we think the Housing Element can be improved.
The key is the Housing Element contains policy to build 1,600 Affordable Housing units in the next 8 years in Arcadia. This will be finalized in October, coming soon. This is the time to give input. We will watch how the states reviews Arcadia’s 3rd iteration of the Housing Element, and take our next steps.
Short-term Assitance working group:
This group probes to find ways to help the unhoused in Arcadia, with practical services. We compiled a list of services in and around Arcadia. You can see this list on our current web site, use this link.
Second, we are probing other ways to provide services to the unhoused, such as bringing back the Resource Hub, which provided showers, case management, light medical treatment, among others. The location is the difficult part of this, as the city cannot go back to the 3-par golf course parking lot. What is a church hosts this on their parking lot? Interested?
Spotlight – Heal Arcadia:
Carolyn Iga is creative and practical. Not waiting for others to provide solutions for the unhoused in Arcadia, Carolyn started her own work of service. On Monday afternoons, from 3pm-5pm at the northwest corner of Arcadia County Park, she distributes bagels and clothes.
Others have begun to join us. Architha Arunraj, a junior at Temple City High School, who is working on her girl scout God Award, jumped in to pack and distribute the food and clothes, and most importantly, welcome the unhoused. In Carolyn’s words, “Together…they welcome the unhoused and housed friends alike, talking to them about healing and caring for the land, and about ‘next steps’ and moving them closer to being healed and housed.”
Carolyn leads an organization called Assignments International, who engages with those on the margins, and seeks “self-sustainability for individuals, family units, and communities.”
In that mindset and effort, Carolyn has partnered with groups to provide temporary housing for 9 people – – Robert A, Tim P, Vanessa, Vivianna, Liz, Alissa , Robert T, Barbara (of those Carolyn can remember) – over the past year with the hopes they would be moved to permanent housing. But the reality is, most of them went right back to being on the streets. A few have their section 8 housing but are still just waiting on the streets for permanent housing to open up.
Each have their own stories, challenges, needs. Read more about the work Carolyn and friends are doing, in their links below. God bless you Carolyn.
https://assignmentsinternational.com/
Upcoming gatherings:
We learn a lot by listening to each other, and engaging together. We have more gatherings coming up.
Our next monthly is Tuesday, September 27th. It is an on-line meeting. Join us if you can. We meet on the 4th Tuesday of the month, and try to stay away from the City Council meetings on Tuesdays (1st and 3rd Tuesdays), so we can attend if needed.
Large gathering: Saturday, November 5th. This will be a morning event (around 9:30am to 11:30am), at the Santa Anita Church. This will be a great time to gather again, bring more folks, get updates from the working groups and others doing good work in Arcadia, and get a guest speaker as well. We will try to have these large gatherings every 6 months or so.