March 24, 2023
Hello All from Marisol!
Scripture says in Isaiah 52:7, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things…” In this next story we celebrate some great things happening here in Pasadena with affordable housing, thanks to the efforts of our Housing Director Bill Huang and his team! We bless and celebrate with Bill and pray for his continued efforts!
Stories in This Issue
- Join us Tues., March 28, 7 pm. MHCH Housing Justice Forum on 2023 State Housing and Homeless Bills—Which ones do we support? And how?
- Join us! San Gabriel Valley Housing Justice Symposium on April 1.
- “Good News about Affordable Housing in Pasadena from Bill Huang, our Housing Director” by Anthony Manousos.
- “Rochelle Mills: Affordable Housing Developer and Rock Star” by Anthony Manousos.
- Irvine Housing Opportunities video narrated by Rochelle Mills and others.
Good News About Affordable Housing from Pasadena’s Housing Director Bill Huang
by Anthony Manousos
It is a joy to meet with Bill Huang, Pasadena’s Housing Director. He is deeply committed to affordable housing, extremely capable, and eager to share what has been accomplished under his watch.
He gave us a handout with the latest tally showing a total of 569 affordable units under construction in Pasadena:
- 132 are inclusionary units (included in a market rate development),
- 119 are rehab units,
- 318 units are new construction, such as Pasadena Studios, Heritage Square South, Adept Walnut, Lincoln and Orange Grove, and the Salvation Army Hope Center.
It is very encouraging to see that
- 305 of these units listed above are for low-income renters,
- 65 are for very low,
- 24 for moderate,
- 25 for workforce and
- 140 for extremely low renters, including those experiencing homelessness. When the Hope Center and Heritage Square South open up this year, they will reduce our city’s homeless count!
Additionally, 1,254 affordable units are “in the pipeline,” meaning that they are real projects that haven’t yet started construction.
Finally, there are also 495 units of “missing middle” workforce housing–for those earning between 80% and 120% of the area medium income–mostly located at Westgate. These units will rent for between $250 and $1000 less than market rate units and will enable young professionals to live in our city.
This is an impressive achievement, especially compared with most other cities. But the need is huge and can seem daunting. We need to build 6,000 affordable units in the next eight years, according to the Regional Housing Needs Assessment.
Even though we have a long way to go, it is important to celebrate what has been accomplished so we can feel hopeful about achieving our ultimate goal: ending homelessness and ensuring that everyone has a decent, affordable place to live in our city.
We’re excited to work with Bill Huang who will give a presentation encouraging other religious institutions to follow the example of Salvation Army Hope Center when it opens up this summer. We will also present our process about how we help congregations have affordable housing built on underutilized land. The Hope Center will house 65 people experiencing homelessness. Bill played a key role in making this happen. To attend Bill’s presentation, hear about our work, and see other affordable housing in our city, we’re planning a “Dispelling Myths, Providing Solution” bus tour. Come and see for yourself!
Making Housing and Community Happen 
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