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Font ResizePASADENA - With winter approaching, the city's bad weather shelter is ready to open its doors to the homeless today on a weather-activated basis until daily service starts Jan. 1.
"We're ready," said the Rev. Pat O'Reilly, executive director of the Ecumenical Council of Pasadena Area Churches.
The ECPAC program, which has helped house and feed thousands of homeless men, women and children since 1986, costs $110,000 to operate each year, O'Reilly said, using state and city funding boosted by private donations.
Next year promises to be that much harder, she said.
The city's regular $60,000 contribution won't be coming in 2012 because of budget cuts.
"Pasadena has said they won't be able to support us as usual next year," O'Reilly said. "So, for the first time, we've got a `Friends of the bad weather shelter"' to help fill the funding gap.
The idea came from Rebecca Huang, a 17-year-old high school senior, who has already started trying to raise $60,000 to close next year's funding gap.
Huang, daughter of Pasadena's Housing Director Bill Huang, said she decided to take action after hearing her father talk about the program's funding loss.
"I'm just learning about how important this program is - before, I never even knew Pasadena had a bad weather shelter," Rebecca Huang said. "I found out more, and I found that in the past nine people have actually died in Los Angeles County from hypothermia. And if we don't
She said the group has raised about $2,000 so far, starting with an annual $600 pledge from Mayor Bill Bogaard for the next four years.
Now she's working to get the word out.
Huang plans to set up small displays in restaurants and businesses using information sheets and business cards with contact and donation information, and she said a group of students at Art Center College of Design is working on bus-shelter poster art as a class project.
"They're doing it for free," Huang said. "I need to find someone to print them, and we'd have to pay for that."
O'Reilly said Huang is reaching out beyond the usual donor base.
"What Rebecca wanted to do was ... find 100 donors, particularly businesses, committed to giving $600 a year," O'Reilly said. "But she realized not everyone wants to give $600 - that's a lot of money - so there are all different levels. One person donated $50."
Since 2009, demand for the shelter's services has steadily risen along with homeless numbers in Pasadena - now at 1,216, O'Reilly said.
"We're comfortable with 150 (homeless) a night but we've been up to 197, and that's too many," she said.
The shelter will open every night in January and February, but until then will be available only when the temperature goes below 40 degrees or there's a 40 percent chance of rain, O'Reilly said.
Families can check in at 7 p.m., she said. "They eat, and we transport them to another church, Altadena Community Church of Messiah Church in Pasadena."
Others are admitted and given a hot meal at 8 p.m., she said, with more than 30 local groups, including church congregations, providing the food.
Huang said she doesn't expect raising funds to be easy.
"But I think there are a lot of good people out there," she said. "A lot of people say they'd like to help."
For more information, or to donate, go to ecpac.net/FriendsOfBWS.html or call 626-797-2402.
626-578-6300, ext. 4482
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