Friend of CHOA,
CHOA has capped off a few busy months. In this newsletter, we mainly recap the Sharing Gathering this month, but cover a few other key efforts as well.
Here is what this newsletter includes:
- Recap the Sharing Gathering on May 10th: Even on Mother’s Day weekend, we had 24 folks attend. Together we heard how L.A. CADA is serving the unhoused, and listened to both Mayor Sharon Kwan and Mayor Pro Tem Eileen Wang speak. We also heard about the new Inclusionary Housing Ordinance, and the Elara Project in unincorporated Arcadia. Read more details below.
- Affordable housing on church land: That’s a very interesting idea, for people, and a church. Our Pasadena Advocate friends at Making Housing and Community Happen are having many sessions about this topic, and the last ones are tonight May 22nd, and Saturday, May 31st. Find more details below.
- Intern working on the CHOA website: CHOA partnered with a local group called Hope IT that allows underserved high schoolers to have paid internships. In April, the intern worked on our blog, adding a few posts. We share a little bit more below.
As always, the CHOA team is grateful for what has happened in the last few months and for your trust, prayers, and engagement.
Peace,
–Mike Veerman
CHOA Team Lead
Recap of the Sharing Gathering on May 10th
There were many firsts that occurred during the Sharing Gathering on May 10th.
It was the first time we had 2 City Councilmembers share.
We are grateful for Mayor Sharon Kwan for joining us for her first time at a Sharing Gathering. As you know by now, Mayor Kwan is the first female Asian Mayor in Arcadia, after 121 years of the city being incorporated. This is significant.
And one of her first visits since being mayor as of April 15th, was visiting with CHOA. She has given her time to CHOA, meeting with us 3 times in the last 5 months. Mayor Kwan encourages us, and I think CHOA inspires her to continue to work on solutions for affordable housing and reducing homelessness in Arcadia.
We are very grateful that Mayor Pro Tem Eileen Wang also came and spoke as well. She has a busy schedule, naturally, so she spoke first. This was the second time she joined in a CHOA Sharing Gathering, and the first time she shared her perspectives.
We are grateful to the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, for hosting this gathering. They have a newly refurbished Fellowship Hall, so it was a very welcoming, bright environment. We so appreciate the church’s trust and partnership.
In total, 24 people came, even on Mother’s Day weekend. We are so glad to see everyone, and connecting in-person brings out more encouragement and ideas. For 3 people that came, this was their first time coming to a CHOA Sharing Gathering. We love to see new folks join in. That also means, 21 of the folks came a second time, or more. That is exactly what CHOA aims to see—that we all are absorbing new information…as well as seeing where God is moving, and what God is doing. Each person can make an impact, so CHOA is thrilled and grateful for another good showing at our Sharing Gathering.
In another first, Matthew Brennan from L.A. CADA joined us to share and answer questions for 30 minutes. The City found ways to fund these case managers/housing navigators. L.A. CADA connects with the unhoused people in Arcadia.
The L.A. CADA case managers are trained. They also have experienced homelessness themselves. With both, they are able to connect with those currently homeless in Arcadia, and talk to them, be patient with them, and build the trust for the unhoused to seek services, and eventually housing.
There are three case managers from L.A. CADA, working 7 days a week. The only other city that does this is Alhambra. L.A. CADA have been working in Arcadia for a few years, and have housed 30-40 unhoused folks. They also have a check-in time at the Arcadia Library on Wednesdays.
Homelessness is complex and needs collaboration to solve. Each unhoused person is unique, and needs a custom approach to help them to get out of homelessness.
If you or your church encounter an unhoused person, just contact L.A.CADA, at 562-844-1484, or arcadia@lacada.com. The flier is below, as well as the link. Matthew provided a few business cards for easy distribution, to church members, and those unhoused. If you need some, just let us at CHOA know.
L.A. CADA Homeless Case Management on the City of Arcadia’s website
The CHOA team also reviewed the new Inclusionary Housing Ordinance, which was passed by City Council in April. The key point is affordable housing units need to be included in residential projects with 30 units or more, starting July 1st. The percentages of affordable housing with the entire development are shown below. Developers selected one of these options. There was a lot of effort on the city side for the last 2 years to get to this point, and a lot of effort on the CHOA and supporters side, to support this ordinance. It will allow for many more people with different incomes to be included in our city. We will all benefit.
Lastly, the CHOA team shared quickly about the Elara project, having 48 affordable housing units. The project also includes 45 permanent supportive housing, which is a new approach around Arcadia. Permanent supportive housing allows folks that are unhoused directly into housing, with case management and wrap-around services, so they remain housed. This is so new, there was a lot of opposition from Arcadia residents to this development. CHOA supports this development, as you know.
Affordable Housing on Church Land:
Churches can build affordable housing on their own land, on their parking lots. It is a fascinating housing option, that is good for people, and good for the church. Of course, there is a lot to consider when determining if this is a good option for your church. Thankfully, many churches are considering it.
For example, when a church has a lot of land (ie: large parking lot or green space), and decreasing church members and funds, having affordable housing on your church property provides income for decades. There are affordable housing developers that will assist.
Our housing advocate friends in Pasadena – Making Housing and Community Happen – and their partners have informational gatherings both online and in-person. There are 2 more coming up, one using Zoom tonight, Thursday, May 22nd, and this following Saturday morning, May 31st. See the flier below for more details. To register, use the link below.
Register for the MHCH Seminars on Affordable Housing Units on Church Land
To read more about the process of getting affordable housing on church land by MHCH, use the link below.
Intern working on the CHOA website:
CHOA was fortunate to provide an opportunity for a paid internship for an underserved high schooler. CHOA partnered with Hope IT, a faith-based volunteer group that works with underserved high school students in the Pasadena area. The internship went on for 4 weeks in April, in which the student worked remotely 5 hours per week, at $17.50 per hour.
The student took a course on WordPress in February (as well as the previous year, February 2024). Using this new found skill, the student gained work experience. The intern – a high school freshman – had to transfer the recent CHOA MailChimp emails as posts to the CHOA’s website blog, as well as attend meetings and track his work hours. The below link was one example of his post on the CHOA blog.
Assignment #2 by the intern