As part of USHS Homeless Services Family Services Program, Amber and her two daughters share a meal and family time in their permanent supportive housing.
Union Station Homeless Services (USHS) is a nonprofit that, since 1973, has led efforts to help unhoused individuals and families find housing and stay housed. Two 2023 PCF grants will help USHS’s important work with unhoused families and children.
Support for Homeless Family Services
PCF’s Pasadena Child Health Foundation (PCHF) funds programs that improve the health and well-being of Pasadena-area children. Union Station was one of 12 PCHF grantee organizations in 2023; the funding will support USHS’s “street to home” Homeless Family Services program. “The families we serve are, more often than not, young families, headed by a single mother in her late twenties to early thirties with children still in preschool and elementary school,” explains Brenda Lynch, USHS’s Associate Director of Communications and Public Affairs.
For children, the health risk of homelessness is significant: They are more likely to experience chronic diseases, behavioral health concerns, developmental delays, hunger, malnutrition, greater rates of depression and suicidality, and substance use than those who have homes.
In recognizing that families need more than a roof over their head to ensure long-term housing stability, USHS designed its Homeless Family Services program to offer wrap-around case management. Assistance extends from helping participants with navigating the housing process to its “safety net” support services that include childcare, help with the school system, medical issues, and legal support. “The PCHF grant will help ensure that families are safely housed, healthy, and connected to community.”
A Capital Grant for Euclid Villa Permanent Supportive Housing
A 2023 Capital Grant will help Union Station make renovations at its Euclid Villa Permanent Supportive Housing, which houses families in safe, trauma-informed environments. The children and families served through this program have access to indoor and outdoor play areas and community spaces; they also receive services to improve their physical, mental, and financial wellbeing. Each of the 14 family apartments will be renovated – PCF’s funding will be used to update the kitchens.
