On a warm August afternoon in east Pasadena, 20-year-old Sky Celine generously invited PCF into her brand-new apartment, proudly throwing her arms wide to show off her beautiful space. She is one of six young adults who are transitioning out of foster care and just moved into an innovative new housing project that resulted from a dynamic collaboration among several community partners, including the Pasadena Community Foundation (PCF). Watch Short Video About This Project.
A Partner from the Ground Up
In early 2022, PCF Toured A Site On Foothill Boulevard in east Pasadena with Charles Loveman, Executive Director of Heritage Housing Partners. With encouragement from the City of Pasadena’s Housing Department Director, Bill Huang, Loveman was in the process of purchasing the property with two existing structures to transform it into housing for transition age foster youth, or TAY. The proposed project was appealing to PCF because it addressed two important Foundation initiatives: affordable housing and foster youth. Jeannine Bogaard, PCF’s VP of Community Impact, notes that this project offered several compelling opportunities for the Foundation:
“We provided $200,000 to support property renovations, and we also leveraged our strong relationships with nonprofits and city officials to convene the right partners and find additional avenues of support.”
Moreover, Jeannine notes that as the project continued to evolve over the next two years, PCF connected Heritage Housing Partners with First Place for Youth (FPFY), a nonprofit that supports foster youth ages 18-24 in their transition to adulthood by providing comprehensive programs and services. FPFY selected six of its program participants to move into the new property; the residents will receive wrap-around services onsite.
Housing Leads to College Success
The community collaboration coalesced around a pressing need, one that an August 2024 RAND Report reaffirms: time spent within the foster care system puts an individual at greater risk of experiencing homelessness. And, as PCF has learned through its Petersen Scholars Program, recent studies also show that former foster youth attending community colleges face the highest rates of homelessness or housing insecurity across California’s public post-secondary education systems.
To help address this statistic locally, Pasadena City College (PCC) will support the program participants by covering the first five years of rent – the first time that PCC has established a formal partnership to provide housing for its students. PCC will also ensure these students have access to vital services at the college, including the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services and CARES teams, both of which have established relationships with the TAY population.
Furnishing the Apartments – and Looking Forward to the Next Phase
As the opening date neared this spring, PCF stepped in with funding once again to fully furnish each of the six apartments. On August 7, PCF celebrated alongside the community partners and stakeholders at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Jeannine Bogaard expressed her pride in this collaborative effort.
“This project brings together so many of PCF’s priorities. It demonstrates what partnerships can accomplish for our young people and the impact it can have on our whole community. It is a proud day for PCF to see this housing open and know that we’ve been with the project from inception to completion.”
Guests at the ceremony only had to look next door to imagine the next phase of this project. Heritage Housing Partners has acquired the adjacent property, which will also be refurbished to eventually house an additional nine TAY students. PCF is excited about the phase 2 expansion and hopes to continue our work with the current partners.
First Place for Youth participant and PCC student Sky Celine shows off her brand new apartment.
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We believe strong communities thrive when philanthropy tackles real needs. To create lasting impact in Greater Pasadena, we focus on six key areas that that drive opportunity, build resilience, and improve well-being.
PCF Helps Fund Affordable Housing Project for PCC Students In spring of 2022, Pasadena Community Foundation joined several community partners in funding a housing project for students at Pasadena City College (PCC) who are transitioning out of foster care and experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness. PCF contributed a $200,000 grant toward the project as part […]
In April, three Pasadena Community Foundation staff members visited four of the seven Petersen Scholars who attend Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. Sac). The students are transition age foster youth (TAY) who have navigated many obstacles to attend college. Over a delightful lunch, we learned that even with those challenges, these students are thriving in […]
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PCF Helps Fund Affordable Housing Project for PCC Students In spring of 2022, Pasadena Community Foundation joined several community partners in funding a housing project for students at Pasadena City College (PCC) who are transitioning out of foster care and experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness. PCF contributed a $200,000 grant toward the project as part […]
In April, three Pasadena Community Foundation staff members visited four of the seven Petersen Scholars who attend Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. Sac). The students are transition age foster youth (TAY) who have navigated many obstacles to attend college. Over a delightful lunch, we learned that even with those challenges, these students are thriving in […]
Ten young adults exiting foster care learned this fall that, with funding support from Pasadena Community Foundation, they had landed a spot in the invaluable job-readiness internship program at Coffee with a Cause (CWAC). The program accepts up to 20 youth per quarter and provides employment-skills training following Specialty Coffee Association of America standards. PCF […]
