Pasadena Bad Weather Shelter

A program of the Ecumenical Council/Friends In Deed, the Pasadena Bad Weather Shelter provides shelter for homeless individuals and families each night in January and February. It is also weather activated (40 degrees or below or 40% chance of rain) from the day after Thanksgiving until the end of December, and from the first of March until the 15th of March. The Bad Weather Shelter is located in the gymnasium of the Pasadena Covenant Church, 539 N. Lake, next to the Fire Station, and near the Gold line. This year the families will register and eat at Pasadena Covenant, and then will be transported either to Altadena Community Church or Messiah Lutheran Church depending on the night of the week.

Homelessness in Pasadena

The 2011 Pasadena Homeless Count recorded that there were 1216 homeless individuals on a given night in Pasadena. From 2005 until 2008 the number of homeless had decreased but with the economic climate changing, the number increased 7% this year over last and 21% since 2008.

During the 2010-11 season, the Bad Weather Shelter housed 847 unduplicated individuals over the course of 74 days. This includes 487 men, 230 women, 60 girls and 65 boys. 59 families were served at the shelter this past season.

To learn more about the 2011 Pasadena Homeless Count and the 2011 Homeless Survey, go to www.phhn.org.

How the Shelter Operates

The Bad Weather Shelter is located in the Pasadena Covenant Church Gymnasium at 539 N. Lake Avenue, Pasadena. The Bad Weather Shelter is a high tolerance shelter. At 7 pm families with children are admitted to the shelter, registered and fed a hot meal by volunteers. Then they are transported to a local church where they spend the night. At 8 PM individual adult guests are admitted, registered, and fed. Guests leave the shelter by 7AM each morning. There is no discrimination due to race, sexual orientation, gender, ancestry, national origin, legal status, or disabilities. To find out if the shelter is open during the weather active season, call the Hotline,1-888-915-8111. The shelter is open every night in January and February. For all other questions, call 626-797-2402.

Staffing

The shelter is staffed by professionals who are experienced with the homeless, mentally ill and drug addicted populations. Several work as professionals at Union Station, Lake Avenue Foundation and Passageways. A nurse from Passageways/Pacific Clinics provides flu shots, health evaluations and palliative care. Special programs include Twelve Step Programs, Foot Washing and periodic entertainment by the volunteer groups.

Volunteering for the Bad Weather Shelter

For your group to volunteer for the Bad Weather Shelter, please email bws@ecpac.net during October or November.

During the BWS season, contact Kari Herwig, Operations Director, at bws@ecpac.net for any questions your group may have.

We request that volunteer groups be comprised of NO MORE THAN 15 PEOPLE. Too many volunteers causes interference with the functioning of the shelter.

Volunteers are asked NOT TO BRING DONATED ITEMS to the shelter other than the food for the night.

Funding

The Bad Weather Shelter costs more than $110,000 a year to operate. Sixty percent of the funding for the Pasadena Bad Weather Shelter comes from the City of Pasadena. Fifteen percent comes from federal monies through the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, and 35% comes from individual and church donations and the Fall ECPAC/Bad Weather Shelter Fundraiser.

Twenty-two volunteer groups from Congregations and other agencies provide healthy, hot meals for our clients each night. We average 100 clients a night, and at times serve up to 150 clients.

Annual Report

2011 Report (pdf)

Friends of the Bad Weather Shelter

Because of the economic downturn, the City of Pasadena will not be able to contribute its usual share of $60,000 to run the Bad Weather Shelter starting in November, 2012. In order to cover this gap, the City and ECPAC together are requesting that the business community rise up and lend their support. One hundred pledges of $600 per businesses per year will supplement the $50,000 provided by ECPAC through its own fundraising efforts.

For more information visit the Friends of the Bad Weather Shelter page by clicking on the button above.

History of the Bad Weather Shelter

The Bad Weather Shelter first opened in 1986 in response to the emergency needs of homeless persons in Pasadena. These were individuals who for a variety of reasons lacked adequate refuge during the cold and wet winter months. The shelter was located at the Salvation Army gymnasium until 1989 and then moved to its present location in the gymnasium of the Pasadena Covenant Church.

The first director of the shelter was
Dr. Joe Colletti whose vision, care and energy made the shelter possible. In 1989 the shelter became an official program of the Ecumenical Council of the Pasadena Area Congregations (ECPAC).

Advisory Board

Wayne Walker
Pasadena Covenant Church

Ron Grassmann
New Hope Christian Fellowship

Leo Hurtado
Lake Avenue Foundation

Ann Lansing

City of Pasadena Housing Department

Woody Hain

Board Member

Jim Tyberg
Pasadena Covenant Church

Victor Cass
Pasadena Police Department

Pat O’Reilly

Executive Director