by Brennon Dixson
August 1, 2021 — Pasadena Star News
Crafts, dance and a chance to converse about the development of affordable housing on church land were prevalent Saturday at Pasadena Foursquare Church’s community celebration.
Free snow cones, cotton candy and popcornd were th draw for local families who stopped by on a hot day to enjoy the the evengt’s walk-through art exhibit and many raffles; however, the true purpose of the event was to rally for the institution of a city-wide zoning amendment to allow affordable housing on religious land.
Pasadena Foursquare Church already owns nine affordable housing units, but it wants to help other churches partner with affordable housing developers to meet the crisis that is driving up homelessness and causing public schools to close because families are leaving the city, the Rev Bert Newton said prior to the celebration.
“Pasadena is a great place to live, but the problem we’re facing is that a lot of people cant afford to live here anymore. Families are being forced to move away, so we need to find solutions, Newton said. “Ant this is a great event for neighbors to come together and meet each other and talk about these things and learn more about how to proote affordable housing for all income levels.
In an interview, Foursquare Church pastor Brita Pinkson added the idea to have a community celebration arose when she and others in the community began to think about the need for spaces “where we see each other and where we have a chance to get to be friends.”
She also realized the larger community is sometimes lost on to get involved in the fight.
“We really believe that people recognize there’s a problem, but theydon’t know who to email or who to call so they often feel so overwhelmed they don’t know their voice matters,” Pinkston said. “But theyneed to knwow that everybody has a say and we need all parts of Pasadena coming together, speaking their voice and recognizing we can create change if we come together.”
She hopes Saturday’s event would be the start of that realization.
Making Housing and Community Happen 
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