Since 1997, Achieve Glendale has worked with homeless families and
individuals. Instead of just providing for their basic needs
(such as food and clothing), we have created a portfolio of
tools and resources that help them move from the streets
into permanent housing. Since 1997, 70% of our shelter
residents have moved into housing at the end of their
two-three month stay. The success of shelter residents is
dependent on our volunteers, donors, and staff working
together to bring hope to the homeless.
PATH Ventures Clients Serve Dinner at PATH Achieve Glendale
On Friday, May 23rd, clients of Glendale Housing Now—a PATH
Ventures program—served dinner to the clients at the PATH
Achieve Glendale (PAG)transitional shelter program. Many of the
clients from Glendale Housing Now have connections to PAG, as
they’ve either stayed in the transitional program themselves or
have received case management services from the Access Center.
One of the Housing Now participants came up the idea of serving
dinner when asked what kind of activities she would be
interested in doing with PATH Ventures program participants.
Housing Now clients were excited to serve the clients tasty
food, having spent time in shelters and knowing how special it
is when groups come to cook delicious meals. One of the Housing
Now clients was a former caterer and headed up the project. All
of the clients set some of their own money aside to contribute
to the budget for the meal. The clients came early and prepared
an extravagant Middle Eastern meal including beef and chicken
kabobs. Their case manager, Maria Carr, says she was “very
impressed by the effort and energy my clients put forth and how
much it meant to them to be able to give back to their
community.” Housing Now clients also enjoyed interacting with
the PAG clients and some, who had previously stayed at PAG
themselves, discussed the enormous difference that the PAG
program made in transforming their lives. PAG clients graciously
enjoyed the meal, wrapping it up by giving Housing Now clients a
standing ovation for their service.
HOMELESS CONNECT DAY 2008
On Thursday, May 8th, over 100 volunteers, service providers and City
representatives were on hand to help homeless people access a broad range of
services and resources on Homeless Connect Day, in a day that turned out to be
equally as good for agency networking.
Volunteers, including elected officials, ministers and bikers, showed up to
support the 33 agencies in serving homeless people who were primarily
chronically homeless adults.
Glendale Mayor John Drayman was joined by City Councilmen Frank Quintero and Bob
Yousefian, as well as CDBG Commissioners Chang Lee, Alec Baghdasaryan and Gary
Cornell. Marie Lemelle, Elizabeth Manasserian, Paula Devine and Grace Walker,
Commissioners from Glendale’s Commission on the Status of Women, also were on
hand to provide information regarding assistance to victims of domestic
violence, as well as gift bags for homeless women.
Rita Hadjimanoukian, representing Supervisor Michael Antonovich visited County
Department sites and also helped at the Commission on Status of Women Site.
PATH Achieve Glendale Board Chair Nick Lam assisted with serving food.
Vietnam Vet Motorcycle Club volunteers assisted with outreach.
# Volunteers: 39
# Provider Agencies: 32 agencies, with over 60 representatives
# Client Served: 36
Storage: Items for 6 people
Dog placement with SPCA: One homeless man arrived with a dog. Upon further
discussion we learned he did not want to keep the dog, and so arrangements were
made for the SPCA of Pasadena to pick up the dog.
Participants Were Seen By:
PATH Achieve Glendale – Intake for Connect Day
PATH Achieve Glendale – Intake for Access Center
EDD/Verdugo Jobs Center
EDD-Veteran Employment Support Specialist
Labor Ready
DPSS Human Resources
Housing Rights Center
Department of Corrections
Neighborhood Legal Services
Los Angeles County Probation Department – 1 client provided information
about rental assistance program
Public Defender's Office
Public Counsel
BWS Integ. Services Ops Section–Homeless Programs
LA County Child Support Services Dept
Social Security Administration (SSA)
GROW Supervisor
DPSS Medical/Food Stamp Outreach
CalWORKsHomeless
Case Manager/DPSS
GMHHC
Glendale Healthy Kids
Hestia House
NEVHC Homeless Health Care Project
LA County Department of Mental Health
CASC
Verdugo Mental Health
Veterans Administration - West Los Angeles
Professional Institute of Beauty
Youth Svs.-Parks and Rec.
Senior Services-Parks and Rec.: bus tokens and information for 30 people;
15
inquiries about Youth and Family Services mainly regarding Drug Treatment, DV,
and employment for teenagers who are homeless.
YWCA Domestic Violence Project
Commission on the Status of Women
PATH Achieve Transportation
Glendale United Methodist Church: 32 hygiene kits
Data still being collected.
Congregations:
First Baptist Church of Glendale
First Glendale United Methodist Church of Glendale
Glendale Presbyterian Church
Temple Sinai
A Memorial for Father Mark Jaufmann
We are saddened to report that PATH Achieve’s newest board member, Father Mark
Jaufmann, has passed away. A memorial for Father Jaufmann took place on
Saturday, March 29th at 11 a.m., at the Ecumenical Catholic Community of St.
Andrew and St. Mark. A rosary meeting and viewing took place on Friday. Father
Mark was to represent the Glendale Religious Leaders Association on our Board.
The Glendale Religious Leaders Association hosted a multi-denominational
Thanksgiving Service last fall that included a collection for PATH Achieve, and
which recently joined PATH Achieve’s Guest Chef program.
New Years Gift!!!
PATH Achieve Glendale was awarded $1,080,961 in federal funding to continue
its homeless programs, including:
Access Center
Scattered Site Transitional Housing for Homeless Families
Next Step, Permanent Supportive Housing for homeless individuals in
recovery
Answered prayers Homeless families find help and hope in Pasadena
this Christmas
It’s 3:30 on a Tuesday afternoon, and Keysha Santillan is making coffee in her
kitchen while waiting for her husband Anthony to come home. Her two kids,
Aaliyah and Anthony Jr., play in the backyard then run through the house. In the
living room of her 109-year-old Victorian house in Northwest Pasadena, a large
Christmas tree stands, decked out with all the trimmings of the season.
Santillan is happy, an easy smile blending with an upbeat tone in her voice that
reflects a deep sense of peace and confidence as she talks about her family and
the year to come. What’s remarkable is the fact that just 10 months ago she and
her family were struggling with the prospect of being homeless for the first
time in their lives.
Mary and Bruce
Khouri, Carousel Restaurant, Minx Restaurant,
New
Moon Restaurant, Chocolate Box Café, GWP
December 8th, put on your sneakers and
dress your kids in their best camouflage for our
first ever boot camp fundraiser! Hosted by
RE/MAX Elite, all donations will go to PATH Achieve
and will be matched, dollar for dollar by Pacific
BMW!
Burbank agrees to give shelter
After outpouring of community support,
council votes to allow armory to host the homeless this winter
BURBANK; A 150-bed county winter homeless shelter for the
tri-city area will open next week in Burbank after the City Council
there voted 4-0 Tuesday to support the program at the National Guard
armory.
The vote capped off a two-week lobbying effort on the part of the Los
Angeles Homeless Services Authority to use the Burbank site after the
California National Guard announced on Oct. 29 that the armory in
Glendale; which has hosted the shelter for the past 10 years; would be closed
for repairs.
Homeless Officials Have Eye On Armory Burbank facility may be used as winter shelter this year, but questions and
concerns abound.
GLENDALE - County homeless officials have a tough sell waiting for them on
Tuesday when they meet with Burbank officials to discuss using the National
Guard Armory there for a temporary winter shelter this season.
Since the state announced on Oct. 29 that Glendale's National Guard Armory on
Colorado Street; the winter shelter's location for the past 10 years;
would be closed for maintenance and construction during the program's season
from Dec. 1 to March 15, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority officials have
been scrambling to find a replacement site.
GLENDALE - Faced with the inability to use the city's National Guard
Armory and a tepid response from local churches that have been asked to provide
space for a rotating winter homeless shelter, county officials and the Glendale
Homeless Coalition agreed Thursday to explore Burbank's armory as a last-ditch
alternative.
The possibility of officials stitching together a last-minute agreement to
operate a winter homeless shelter in Glendale this season is at an all-time low,
leaving the area's homeless likely without local respite from the cold for the
first time in more than 10 years.
On Monday, November 5th, PATH Achieve’s staff and Board of Directors honored its
volunteers and donors with a “Day of Gratitude”. Visitors found a spruced up
facility on Fernando Court, with newly planted landscaping and live jazz
courtesy of the 20 member Glendale Academy Jazz Band.
Kicking off the event was a presentation to Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike
Antonovich, introduced by former Glendale Mayor and current City Councilman,
Dave Weaver. Antonovich, who represents the Glendale area, secured a $200,000
County grant to support PATH Achieve operations. During his remarks, Supervisor
Antonovich praised the public-private partnership that has sustained PATH
Achieve over the years.
New Planters!
Thanks to the donation of Mary and Bruce Khouri, and
the design and hard work of Re:vision Landscaping of
South Pasadena, our planters have been transformed
from thirsty and rangy to lovely and drought
tolerant, with Kangaroo Paw, rosemary, lavender and
Chinese elms.
Before
After
Thanksgiving Arrives Early in Glendale PATH Achieve to Host A “Day of Gratitude”
November 2, 2007
(Glendale) – PATH Achieve Glendale will host a
“Day of Gratitude” event to thank donors and
volunteers for their support in the last year.
Festivities will include music by the Glendale
Academy Jazz Band, light lunch and a check
presentation of $200,000 by Los Angeles County
Supervisor, Michael D. Antonovich. The funds will go
towards supporting PATH Achieve, Glendale’s largest
homeless service agency which serves over 1400
individuals and families annually. Glendale Mayor,
Ara Najarian, is expected to be on hand to join the
PATH Achieve Board of Directors in accepting the
check.
“We deeply appreciate the Supervisor’s attention
to the needs of homeless people in Glendale,” says
PATH Achieve Executive Director Natalie Profant
Komuro, “We are so pleased to have this opportunity
to recognize him as well as the many individuals and
organizations that have supported us in our first
year of operating these important programs in
Glendale.”
The 2007 Glendale Homeless Count found 79
chronically homeless people in Glendale, yet there
are no beds or programs in Glendale that
specifically address their needs. Without
comprehensive and strategic attention to engaging
these people, they will continue to live on the
streets, further imperiling their physical and
mental health while placing a costly burden on
emergency services and health care. To respond to
this problem, PATH Achieve Glendale has applied for
County Homeless Prevention Initiative funds to
create a pilot “First Step Housing” program.
Applicants for this funding were required to show
local support for their program. On October 9th, the
City of Glendale Housing Authority, which includes
the City Council, voted to support PATH Achieve’s
application for funding.
It is never easy to set up a new homeless programs.
Homeless services providers and housing developers
across the country can attest the challenges they
face in sitting their programs. Here in Los Angeles
County, a transitional housing program for homeless
families took over a year to open because of
community opposition. So we greatly appreciate the
Housing Authority’s support for this project . What
we did not expect were the letters and editorial in
the Glendale News Press that expressed their support
for our proposed 1st Step Program as well. We are
moved and encouraged by your support. Thanks to all
for speaking out!
Local Democrats say the budget protects at-risk
programs, but Republicans say it is far too
‘liberal.’
September 2007
BURBANK — More than a week after the governor
signed a state budget, local lawmakers and public
agencies are still coming to terms with the
contentious $145-billion spending bill, and the
52-day political battle that delayed its passage.
In enacting the plan, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
followed through with a promise to Republicans to
cut an additional $703 million from a budget that
Democrats say had already gone under the knife.
